Puppet Sensei
by TsukikoUchu
Summary: Sasori ends up back in time after his defeat, so goes undercover to train Sakura, only to end up regretting his decision when he leaves, so returns several months later, an Uchiha Massacre with a twist, a slightly vengeful Sakura, a Sakura obsessed Sasuke & a smarter, slightly mature Naruto, the genin of Team 7 become movie stars, with a few unexpected revivals and twist pairings.
1. Prologue

At that moment upon his death by his own grandmother and the hands of a pink haired brat, Sasori was thrust back in time about ten years, when he regained consciousness, he was sitting in his bed, head in his hands.

Very confused, he felt his jaw tighten with anger "I don't understand what the hell just happened" Sasori muttered to himself, still at a loss and impatient to find out, so he jumped to his feet and hurried out into the hall.

It looked like he was in a regular ole Akatsuki base, however this one had been long since destroyed, his frown grew deeper yet, especially when he passed Orochimaru and his traitorous subordinate Kabuto Yakushi.

Just as he was really beginning to work himself into a rampage, he walked right by a calender that had all the answers he wanted "Odd, yet this could work in my favor" the crimson haired man mused to himself, accepting the strange occurrence that seemed to have happened to him.

With that he found his way to the Leaders Office "Yes what is it Sasori" Pein was there just as he expected him to be, working on paperwork for the Hidden Rain Village, since he was the Amekage after all.

"Leader-sama there's a request I'd like to make, it involves the Hidden Leaf Village, I wish to go undercover for seven years there, maybe see if I can't convert some shinobi over to us in the meantime" Sasori explained.

Earning a dubious look "And what if they learn that you're a rogue from the Hidden Sand Village, Sasori isn't a very inconspicuous name" the orange haired man raised an orange brow at his subordinate, displeased that he was speaking nonsense.

Not that he claimed to be mentally stable either or the rest of his subordinates, but this was definitely out of the norm for Sasori, who preferred to mess about with his puppets and the like ninety-percent of the time.

Sasori scowled deeply, this was not going at all how he imagined, all he wanted was to die in peace, to finally be with his parents "Then I'll come up with a name and a proper disguise" the redhead scoffed, who did Pein think he was stupid or something.

He barely managed to reign in the urge to roll his eyes to for then Pein was sure to not assign him a mission to go undercover, purple ripple patterned eyes narrowed in suspicious "Why are you so set on the Leaf Village suddenly" Pein questioned.

"By becoming one of them, I can learn and come to understand what their like, all their weaknesses and understand them better, my betrayal will be a blow to them no doubt" Sasori smirked, lying about his true reasoning for wanting to go.

The Leader of the infamous Akatsuki organization glared "Very well but should you be caught remember that your as good as dead to us, consider yourself undercover from now until seven years pass" the orange haired man snapped.

With a slight tilt of the head it was all his pride would allow for Sasori exited the office he was in "Where do you think your going Sasori" Orochimaru hissed most curious about his partners odd behavior all of a sudden.

"I'm going undercover for the next seven years to learn all about the Hidden Leaf Village, they'll be our greatest adversaries I can tell, it'll be easier to defeat them by learning how they think and act" the crimson haired man announced.

Packing his belongings, forgoing the Akatsuki Cloaks, not that he'd need them anyway, if everything worked out in his favor, he would get his wish, to die and be with his parents, to end his suffering finally after so long of being alone.

Once he was done, he bid a final farewell to the old Akatsuki hideout he knew to be gone in the future, this would probably be the last he'd ever see it again, turned on his heels and made his way to Hidden Leaf, trying to come up with a disguise to use just in case.

Nearly four days later, he reached Konohagakure "Who goes there, a traveler no, a shinobi from another village, state your business or be turned away" seemed the guards didn't trust strangers, good thing he had just the thing to say.

"My business here, hmm lets say I wish to relocate and make this village my home" Sasori considered aloud, pasting his best fake smile on and practically dying with impatience as he waited for the guards to make up their minds, on whether or not they'd let him in.

Six minutes later he was on his way to the Hokage Tower "Can I help you" the Hokage was an old man by the name of Hiruzen, not who he was expecting actually, but he sat when he was asked to do so, the old man gesturing at the chair at the same time.

"Yes I'd like to make this village my home, one other thing is the office secure, I'd rather keep certain things between just yourself and I, if you don't mind" the redhead stated simply before moving on to a more serious question.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes but sealed and soundproofed the office "Now why would you want the office secure unless it was a matter of most importance, are you being hunted, do you need protection" the wizened old man clasped his hands together.

Brown eyes widened "Let's liken it to being hunted I suppose, protection no I don't need it, but you'll offer it to me anyway once you hear that I'm a member of an organization called Akatsuki, I propose a deal, I'll be a double agent, for now in return I want something" Sasori smirked.

"And what is this something you want hmm, money perhaps or refuge, or maybe even a village secret" Hiruzen frowned, worried but willing to work out a deal for the time being if it kept his village safe from harm at all costs.

Relieved that things seemed to be going his way, he started with a proper introduction "My name is Sasori Akasuna, I come from Hidden Sand, I'll tell you everything about Akatsuki, what it's goals are, how many members and the like, but I want to take an academy student on as my apprentice" the auburn haired man announced.

"An academy student, their still just children, who" the Third questioned confused, yet wary, Sasori Akasuna was a known poison/puppet master, and why would he come here offering to become a double agent if he was a rogue.

Sasori blew out a breath "Her name is Sakura I believe, I don't know her last name, but she has pink hair, I bet your wondering why, well I'll tell you even if you don't believe me, but the me before you is the Sasori of the future" Sasori grimaced.

Confusing the old man further "Sakura hmm I don't believe I've reviewed any student profiles with that name and if you really are from the future, then you won't mind if I have your mind checked for proof of course" Hiruzen prodded with a frown.

Still wondering what the heck was going on "Well that's a let down, suppose I'll have to search for her myself and no if you feel you must then do it, I won't resist" the redhead shrugged, disappointed, he'd thought the girl would already be in the academy by now.

But it seemed he was wrong, seemed like he would have to manually search for her as he sat back in the chair to wait until a blonde man entered the secure office "Lord Hokage are you sure this is wise, can we even trust his word" Inoichi as he'd been introduced as inquired.

Uncertain and concerned for the safety of the village "For now we don't have a choice, he's willingly offering himself up, search his mind if you would Inoichi so that we might have a peace of mind" the Hokage explained.

Doing as told Inoichi placed his hands on the known criminal's head, delving deep to find what was needed and eight minutes later he was pulling out "He tells the truth, his memories show things from the future" the blonde admitted, hardly able to believe what he'd seen.

The redhead gave an inwardly relieved sigh, now that the Hokage believed him things would be easier "Very well Sasori, we welcome you to our village, please be discreet and any misconduct you'll be jailed and executed understand, with the Kazekage a personal witness" Hiruzen warned.

"Of course, of course" Sasori nodded, fighting back the smirk as he bowed his head, all his pride would allow for again, then he was escorted from the office and down the streets to an okay apartment complex, free accommodations until he could figure out what he wanted to do.

Not that he'd told the old man he already knew what he wanted, for now it was best to scope out the village and find his target "Just make sure you don't do anything that would have the whole village out for you" Inoichi reminded leaving the rogue to settle in.

He scoffed under his breath at that, like he needed to be told to behave, with a snort he went into the apartment he'd been given and unsealed all of his possessions then rearranged things to be perfect, once he was done, he stood back and admired his collection of human puppets for a moment.

Then after checking the time, headed out to see if he could find the girl, Sakura, he really need to find out what her last name was to or else it would drive him mad, the first place he went to check was the park.

Lo and behold the moment he arrived he spotted a five year old girl with the same bright bubblegum colored hair as the brat from the future, only problem was that she was being bullied by a bunch of other girls.

So he stood back watching but all the girl did was sit on the ground and cry "You'll never be a ninja pink haired freak so just give up already" the girl with purple hair taunted cruelly then with her cronies on her heels left the playground and Sakura behind.

Who continued to sit on the ground and cry until he decided to approach, immediately the tears came to a standstill "Are you here to call me mean names to Mister" little Sakura sniffed and wiped her eyes harshly to try and dry them.

"You know what I see when I look at you little girl, someone who's going to be strong, stronger than those fools could ever hope to imagine on their own, don't allow them to bully you, your better than they could ever hope to be" the redhead squatted before her.

Reaching out to put a hand on her head, just glad that he'd found her, not that he would have missed her because of her bright pink hair anyway "How can you be so sure Mister, ninja's should be sneaky but I have stupid pink hair" the five year old huffed in disbelief.

Well that wasn't something he'd expected, for the girl to be a skeptic "So, I know someone who has orange hair and he's an excellent shinobi, also my name is Sasori, you can stop calling me Mister now" Sasori pointed out carefully.

Hoping that she would return the favor and introduce herself "My name is Sakura Haruno, Sasori-ni, does your friend really have orange hair, how does he do it, do you think I could meet him" Sakura perked right up.

And he really wished he'd waited because having an energetic brat clinging to him wasn't on his list of top five things he wanted to do in life "Maybe someday, now for your other problem, let's see if I can't turn you into an excellent kunoichi" the crimson haired man stood.

Sakura popped up gracelessly, he was going to have to work on that "How can you do that Sasori-ni" the little pinkette tilted her head to the side curiously, latching on to the first person who'd expressed real interest in her besides her parents.

"Private tutoring girl, I need to speak with your parents" Sasori didn't attempt to suppress the eye roll that time as the five year old gripped his hand and drug him after her, all the way across town to the civilian section, not where he expected sure.

But he didn't have any room to complain if he was really going to do this, though it did give him a little insight into what the girl's life was like and why those other girls teased her cruelly, she was civilian born and wanted to be a shinobi.

"Here we are Sasori-ni" Sakura smiled proudly showing off her home to Sasori, who seemed to be the only one who had any faith in her and he was also willing to help her get better by tutoring her, since she still had a whole year to wait before she could go to the academy.

Upon entering the house, two adults a pink haired male and a blonde haired woman rounded the corner "Are you home already Sakura…..who are you" the male narrowed his blue eyes, probably itching to snatch his daughter away from the strange man in his home.

"My name is Sasori Akasuna, I saw your daughter at the park, she was being bullied, it seems she wants to become a shinobi, I've offered to tutor her for no more than five hundred ryo a week" the crimson haired man tilted his head in greeting.

And Sakura's Father, continued to stare at him suspiciously "Why are you taking an interest in our daughter Akasuna-san, apologies I am Mebuki, this is my Husband Kizashi" the blonde woman greeted just as concerned as her husband.

"I see talent where most would not, she can be strong if she had the proper teachings, Haruno-san and I offer my services" Sasori offered again knowing it would take a lot more than honeyed words for the girls parents to trust him.

Case and point they still gave him suspicious stares "Please Mommy, Daddy, Sasori-ni said that I can become super strong, stronger than anyone could ever hope to imagine" the rosette piped in with a pout at her parents.

Little children really were naive but at least it worked in his favor for once since it looked like the girl was attached to him quite a bit already "You said five hundred a week right" Kizashi sighed and the other man nodded seriously.

"Very well, is tomorrow around 1 alright for the first lesson until dinner time" Mebuki relented as well, seeing how happy this made her daughter, who was she to refuse since Sakura was bound and determined to become a kunoichi.

Sasori nodded yet again "See you tomorrow then Sasori-ni" little Sakura waved enthusiastically at her private sensei as the door was shutting behind hem, this earned her a little wave before the door shut all the way and she was told to clean up for dinner.

As for Sasori, he returned to the apartment he'd been given to use by the Hokage himself and set to work on creating a working lesson plan for the girl he was going to teach, this was how it all began for him and this time he was going to make sure he stayed dead.


	2. Chapter 1

Upon the following morning, Sasori set off down the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village at a brisk pace to acquire all the things he needed to teach his brat student and the first place he stopped in was a ninja gear store.

Glad that he'd brought all his earnings from the Akatsuki, he headed for the back of the shop and from the shelf, he grabbed 2 packs of shuriken, 1 pack of kunai and 1 pack of throwing needles, some bandage wraps, a couple of weapons holsters and a weapon pouch.

Next was a book on basic chakra control, academy level to his frustration, but he didn't want to start her off with the advanced stuff, it was to soon and she'd no doubt give up with how difficult it all was, a book on kata's and beginner taijutsu, a pair of gloves and a new pair of sandals.

Then with all his selections headed for the cashier, once everything was bought, he sealed it all away in a storage scroll, before heading for the next shop, which was a bookstore, there he got a book on medicinal and poisonous herbs for beginners, a scroll on chakra points and hand signs.

A scroll explaining nature elements, a scroll explaining chakra, a book on meditation, and basic information on Leaf Village history, a scroll on genjutsu, lastly a medical text scroll for beginners, again he repeated the process of buying all those books and the like.

Before he was off to the third place, a clothing store, he went straight to the clothes for little girls, grabbed a light pink yukata with short sleeves, that had a dark pink sash and pink trimmings, elbow and knee warmers, a mesh shirt and a mesh pair of shorts to finish it all off.

He got weird looks for this but it wasn't his responsibility to tell them what he was doing or why he was buying clothing for little girls as he bought the clothes and headed for the final place, the Hokage Tower.

And as much as it rankled him to have to wait, he stood there patiently until he was able to get in and see the Hokage again "Sasori what brings you here so early" Hiruzen was dubious at best whether it was wise to let the man stay in the village.

That didn't mean he couldn't give Sasori the benefit of the doubt though "I found that girl, Sakura, and I wish to take her on as a student until it's time for her to graduate from the academy, to teach her privately" Sasori requested.

Clearly the Hokage hadn't been expecting that in the least "May I ask why your so interested in young Sakura-san, Inoichi told me that she's his only daughter's friend" the Hokage clasped his hands together worried yet intrigued.

"She has a natural talent that will be overlooked unless she receives special training for it, also this girl, Sakura, will be one of the ones to kill me in the future, I wish to make sure she's up to par this time around so that she'll need no help to defeat me" the redhead explained.

Obviously the Hokage didn't know quite what to say after that "Just be careful alright, she is a young child, only five if I recall and if anyone should question you show them this" Hiruzen finally sighed after several minutes and wrote on an official document.

Which claimed Sakura Haruno as his student until the day she becomes a genin of the Hidden Leaf Village, it would also be the day he would have to return to Akatsuki, so long as Pein didn't send anyone to check up on him, everything should be smooth sailing.

"Understood" Sasori nodded taking the document as he stood, then with a small tilt of the head he was gone from the office and back down the streets to his assigned apartment to finish up the lesson plans for Sakura.

Before he knew it, it was twenty minutes before one o'clock and if he wanted to make sure the brat was wearing the outfit he'd gotten her, he better hurry up and get moving, with fourteen minutes to spare he reached the Haruno House in the middle of the civilian section.

And knocked firmly on the door "Your early, Sakura's just cleaning up, think you can wait twelve more minutes" Kizashi was the one to answer with an unimpressed look on his face, this wasn't the agreed time and the man was way to early.

Sasori figured this might happen "Peace offering, I bought Sakura, a training outfit and wished to give her time to put it on" the crimson haired male held out the bag of clothing, shoving the urge to smirk away when Kizashi looked shocked he'd had the forethought for something like this.

But the pink haired male took the bag and disappeared, it was more than eight minutes later that Sakura appeared with her mother "Now you take good care of her you hear and I don't want to see a single bruise or scratch on her" Mebuki warned.

Nudging her daughter who was wearing her newly bought training gear forward to her private sensei "See you for supper Mommy, Daddy, I'm ready to learn Sasori-ni" Sakura smiled bright, skipping along as he led her down the streets.

"First off girl, when we're together like this, during our lessons and such I want you to call me sensei, none of that big brother alright, second it's good your ready to learn what I have to teach you, I expect you follow my every instruction understand" Sasori scolded lightly.

Strict and firm with the small child, then a little more relaxed, Sakura bobbed her head up and down eagerly "Roger that Sasori-n…oops Sasori-sensei" the pinkette cheered then slapped her hands over her mouth as she nearly slipped up, finishing in a much more demure way.

This amused him more than he thought it would, which earned her a gentle pat on the head "Good and here we are, let's start our first lesson off, by me asking you a couple of questions, Sakura what is chakra" Sasori questioned.

Wanting to see if she knew already "It comes from inside us and helps us with our jutsu's, we use it everyday even for little things" Sakura in all her naivete wasn't exactly wrong or right, it was a childish definition for sure and his lips quirked in light amusement again.

"Okay, do you know at least the five natural elements that can be used" the scarlet haired man inquired, curious about what else the girl knew, since she wasn't quite an academy student yet and was probably far behind the rest of her classmates which would come from major and known clans.

She tilted her head to the side thinking long and hard "L..Lighting, err Wind to I think, definitely Fire I know that one for sure, Water and Earth" the pinkette ticked off her fingers after a minute or so, hesitating on a couple of elements before rattling off the rest in a confident tone.

Brightening with pride when this earned her a nod and a praising pat on the head, Sasori offered her no verbal encouragement though "Not bad, last question the three dojutsu of the world, do you know them" Sasori prodded lightly.

Doubting her knowledge of such things "Uh there's Sharingan isn't that right Sasori-sensei, but I don't know the other two, sorry" Sakura lowered her head feeling like the idiot she was always called, shrinking in on herself for not being as knowledgeable as her sensei expected her to be.

Sasori tapped his fingers on his leg "It's more than I thought you'd know, the other two are the Rinnegan and Byakugan, I expect you to read up on at least one of them until our next lesson understand" the redhead praised lightly.

Not wanting to see the brat give up when they really only just got started "Got it Sasori-sensei, are there anymore questions you'd like to ask me" the bubblegum haired five year old perked up yet again in the face of his light praising.

Earning a small nod "Every good ninja knows that to use jutsu's they must use chakra, but to use certain techniques that requires a delicate art known as chakra control, to start I want to see you focus chakra into your hands, like so" Sasori instructed.

Demonstrating by making a hand sign, knowing very well the girl hadn't been taught any yet, it was something he'd forethought after all, wide emerald eyes watched him closely as his hands glowed a light blue.

"You want me to try now Sasori-sensei" Sakura asked in awe of what she'd just witnessed, such was the naivete of a child after all, and she really didn't know any better, but Sasori nodded, so she put her hands together just like he had.

To focus her chakra, except when after two minutes passed, nothing happened at all, Sakura puffed up her cheeks in frustration, Sasori's brow twitched and he took a deep breath reminding himself to be patient with the girl.

It was proving to be difficult when after seven minutes and nothing happened, he was beginning to wonder how this brat could have ever become one of the people to defeat him "Okay that's enough, come here Sakura" the scarlet haired man finally ordered.

Getting tired of watching her struggle and wanting to find a solution to his unexpected problem, Sakura trudged towards him looking like she was going to her doom, if he wasn't so irritated, he would have been amused, until she was stood before him.

Tears were already gathered in her eyes, probably thinking he was about to quit and give up on her like everyone else "I'm sorry I'm not good Sasori-sensei" the rosette sniffled, not crying just yet, which meant he better find out what was wrong quickly or else.

He didn't want the brat crying on him again after all "Calm down Sakura, relax, what I want you to do, is concentrate alright, sink your awareness deep within, find your chakra network, tell me what you see okay" Sasori instructed gently.

And Sakura did as told, sitting down to meditate somewhat "My chakra network is okay, I just don't have much chakra" Sakura finally said after a couple of minutes, cheeks bright red in embarrassment that she was a less than exemplary student already.

Sasori pat her gently on the head "It's fine Sakura, we can work on increasing your chakra reserves little by little, by the time you start the academy next year, you'll be up to par with the rest of your classmates that I can promise you" the redhead stated in a sure-fire tone of voice.

Jade eyes brightened with excitement in their depths "Then I promise to be the best student I can be to you Sasori-sensei" the little pinkette cheered determined to learn all she could under this man until she became a genin, and the best one at that.

With that he set her to meditating for the next thirty minutes, forty five having already gone by since they'd started "Enough meditating, I'm going to teach you how to throw shuriken, today you'll just be observing understand" Sasori ended her meditation session.

At exactly thirty minutes, then he went about setting up a makeshift target for the throwing lesson "Okay I'm ready whenever you are Sasori-sensei" Sakura exclaimed, watching him intently yet again, funny how the first time she'd ever watched him this intently, he disliked it.

Now he felt rather proud to have her eyes on him, but he shook his head and took up a stance, Sakura etching it into her mind no doubt "When throwing you want to remember control before power, otherwise you'll miss your target, wind and trajectory range as well" he explained.

Shifting as he felt the wind blow, he heard the sound of pencil scratching on paper and realized Sakura was taking notes, it made him chuckle, so the girl was studious "Anything else to factor in Sasori-sensei" the fuscia haired five year old inquired seriously.

"How heavy the weapon your throwing is and whether your throwing with your dominant hand or not" Sasori recited, hearing the scratching of pencil on paper again, followed by feeling her intense stare upon his person.

As he factored in everything necessary and loosed a shuriken from his hand to sail at the target, the weapon struck dead center in the target and his little student gasped in awe "That was so totally cool Sasori-sensei, I can't wait until I get to try it" Sakura waved her arms excitedly.

Showing him exactly how much she was still a child "Perhaps in a couple of days Sakura, now what do you understand about taijutsu" the scarlet haired man questioned returning to his questions again and Sakura tilted her head to the side in thought.

"For close range attacks, it can be complicated" the rosette explained lightly not really sure to be honest but at least she knew the basics, another pat on the head and she brightened exponentially, beaming even more when he handed her a pair of gloves.

"I'm going to lead you through some kata's to loosen your muscles first, then I want you to strike that dummy over there" Sasori pointed at the straw dummy knowing it was best to start her off easy so Sakura befell no injuries.

Otherwise her mother would refuse to let him teach her anymore, even with an official document from the Hokage, she seemed the stubborn type after all, like her daughter "Okay Sasori-sensei" Sakura straightened waiting for whatever it was he was going to do.

Then his hands were on her shoulders, directing her into some simple kata's, until her muscles were nice and loose, then she was led over to the straw dummy, "Strike the dummy with your palm like so, then kick it like this" the redhead demonstrated carefully.

Not wanting to overwhelm her right yet with to many things, that's why he was taking this slowly, Sakura watched intently as he raised his hand and struck the dummy with only his palm, then kicked it, causing straw to fly everywhere.

A couple minutes later it was her turn "Ha can't beat me stupid Ami" the pinkette thrust her palm out with all the strength she could muster, which wasn't much, then raised her leg and side kicked the dummy awkwardly, he was going to have to help her with her body's balance it seemed.

It was a lesson for later though as he had her practice on the dummy for quite awhile until it was nearly dinner time "Very good, it went better than I expected, for homework I want you to read up on the Byakugan, memorize three medicinal herbs from this book, study this chakra point model, and read up on elemental natures" Sasori explained.

Handing over the books necessary, glad he already had a book on Byakugan on hand "Leave it to me Sasori-sensei" Sakura clutched all the learning materials in her arms, then sprinted down the streets towards home knowing that he'd come for her tomorrow at the same time most likely.

When she did get home, Sakura plopped down at the low living room table to start her homework from her private sensei "What's that Sakura-chan" the pink haired male that was her father inquired curiously as she started flipping through a book interest in her gaze.

Other books and a couple of scrolls before her on the table as well "Homework from Sasori-sensei, he wants me to study up on some things" the fuscia haired five year old admitted, scribbling down some stuff on a new piece of paper in her notebook.

Kizashi chuckled, sitting back in his chair, perhaps hiring a instructor for his daughter wasn't all that bad if it kept her active most of the time "Dinner's ready you two, come get it while it's hot" the blonde that was his wife called twenty minutes later.

So they all crowded into the kitchen around the small table that fit the three of them comfortably with room for probably one more and ate, giving their thanks for the meal, then cleaning up after themselves when they were done.

Immediately Sakura plopped down in her previous spot to continue working on her homework from Sasori, barely finishing it in time for her bath, her head hurting slightly from the amount of studying and memorizing she'd done and then it was time for bed, she slept peacefully throughout the night.

And the next day around the same time Sasori appeared to whisk her away again, asking her questions as they walked to make certain that she'd done as he'd told her to do, then meditating, trying to see if she could focus her chakra, observing the throwing lesson again and taijutsu practice, before it was time to go home again.


	3. Chapter 2

Six months later, little Sakura was coming along nicely under his teachings "Look Sasori-sensei, I can stick water to my arm now" Sakura grinned, proud of her accomplishment, it had taken her a long time though, but at least she understood the concept now.

"Good, uses for Rosmarinus officinalis" Sasori nodded his head in acknowledgement throwing out a random medicinal herb that she'd studied extensively, up close and personal even as she got interested in the medical world.

Her head tilted to the side to think for a moment, while keeping up her practice with the chakra control technique "A bunch of things Sasori-sense, mental fatigue, sprains, circulation and low blood pressure are just a few of them, asthma as well" the pinkette rattled off.

And he was very pleased "Right I think that's enough chakra control practice Sakura, your moving on to throwing kunai today remember" the redhead reminded lightly and the water that she was sticking to her arm dropped to the ground uselessly.

To follow him over to the target "Okay so if I remember, each weapon requires a different amount of strength to be added to the throw, but it can't be to much, control over power" Sakura murmured to herself quietly, reviewing what she knew so far.

It tempted him to chuckle but he didn't "Here you are Sakura, don't be nervous you'll do fine" Sasori assured lightly, she was his student after all, not to mention she already had quite the talent to be an exceptional kunoichi in the future.

She took a deep breath taking a kunai from her pouch, shifting into the stance Sasori had helped her develop, adjusted her feet a little bit, eyed the target, checked the wind resistance, factored in trajectory range, gripped her kunai a hair bit tighter and with a flick of her wrist it was off.

Flying through the air to slam into one of the targets inner rings "Did you see, I'm getting closer to actually being able to hit the bullseye everyday" the little rosette cheered happily, dancing around for a short moment until Sasori cleared his throat.

"Quite and by the time you enter the academy in six months time, you'll be an expert in shuriken-jutsu" the scarlet haired man stated, if he said it then it must be so as she returned to her throwing practice for the next thirty minutes.

Until he made her switch to meditating, it was to help her increase her chakra reserves and clear her mind at the same time "Say Sasori-sensei, if I'm in the academy all day when I start, how are we gonna be able to continue our lessons like this" Sakura frowned.

When he told her to quit meditating after thirty-five minutes "Well I'll just have to adjust our schedule that's all, or assign you more homework for the weekdays when your to busy and review and practice on the weekends" Sasori shrugged.

Not to worried really, as he watched her practice taijutsu on the straw dummy "Is it time to go now Sasori-sensei" the little fuscia haired five year old pouted at him when the time ticked down to the last minute of their lesson session.

"Afraid so Sakura, for homework I expect, you to memorize at least three facts about this village's history, a fact from two known clans that we haven't reviewed already and three new herbs, poisonous this time by tomorrow understand" the crimson haired man called out.

The little girl already speeding away from him, but thankfully she heard him just fine and waved back until she rounded a corner and was out of sight "I don't know what you think your doing with that little girl, but you better leave her alone" then a shinobi from the Leaf Village appeared.

Right in front of him, he wasn't impressed at all with the other man's intimidation tactic "Unfortunately I can't, as I have express permission from the Hokage and that girls parents" Sasori smirked, rifling around in his pouch for the official document.

Before thrusting it in the other man's face "You're her private sensei, just know I'm keeping an eye on you Akasuna" the man growled not liking this at all, but if the Hokage had given him permission then he couldn't really complain, only keep an eye out for danger or trouble.

In a poof of smoke he was gone and Sasori turned on his heel, heading down the streets to a weapons shop he'd found the other day "Can I help you" the owner was wary at best, by then everyone knew who he was after all so he wasn't exactly trusted.

"Yeah I'd like to put in a custom order for a specialized weapon, ear dagger, green sheath, red tempered blade, add a dark pink cherry blossom on the sheath" the redhead announced, pulling out his wallet ready to pay, thanking the kami that he was getting paid still by Akatsuki.

For being undercover which earned him a lot more than usual since this was a riskier mission than any he'd undertaken before "Is there any particular reason why you want an ear dagger ordered and customized" the owner narrowed his gaze further in suspicion.

"A gift for my private student, I want to commend her efforts for coming along as far as she has in only six months, now how much" Sasori scoffed, like seriously he hadn't done a single thing wrong since he'd gotten here so why were they all still so uncertain about him.

Though the man was still wary, the order was written down "2,000 ryo, we'll have it ordered and done in a week, with a dark pink cherry blossom on the sheath" the weapons shop owner announced the price and Sasori was quick to place down the needed amount.

Pleased that he still had enough, with the extra earnings he was making as the brats private sensei, then he turned on his heel and headed back to his place, along the way though he saw something interesting "And stay out you filthy demon child" a store owner spat.

Unceremoniously tossing a little boy right out of his shop flat on the boys face "Why I haven't even done anything wrong, why are you all so mean to me" the boy, he recognized as the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki cried, upset that he was being treated this way.

He was just going to turn away, ignore the problem, but when a crowd formed and the people began throwing things at the child who was no more younger than his brat student, Sasori felt his long since dead heart clench with unease.

Before stalking forward and before anything could harm the boy successfully snapping him up and took him off down the streets, it was no wonder why in the future the kid had been so desperate to get Gaara back, he probably didn't make friends easy.

"Stupid brat, when people are throwing things at you, don't just stand there understand" he berated the child carefully, keeping the boy tucked under his arm, not that the brat was trying to get away anyway as the blonde was to stunned that he'd moved and got to him so fast.

Without anything happening "But I hadn't done anything wrong" the brat finally found his voice after a couple of minutes, and cried in outrage that he was being punished unfairly all the time for things he hadn't even done.

Reminding himself to keep his patience, Sasori took a deep breath "Regardless of that kid, your never going to make any friends that way" the redhead scolded lightly, finding a safe spot to put the boy down finally.

Once the brat was stood on his own two feet, he turned on his heel and left him "Hey you Oji-san, can you teach me how to be a super cool ninja like you" the blonde called out to him before he could get to far away, his eyebrow twitched at the nickname.

"Let's get one thing straight brat, I am not an old man and my name is Sasori Akasuna and sorry but I already have a student I'm teaching…." Sasori snapped just a little bit to harshly, and trailed off when the boy flinched away from him.

Probably thinking he was going to be hit, Sasori sighed and pressed his fist into his eyes, utterly frustrated with how this evening was turning out already "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, can't you figure out a way to teach both of us please Sasori-ni" Naruto pouted.

Already calling him the same way his current student liked to call him sometimes and he had to wonder what it was about Leaf Ninja or potential Leaf Shinobi that had them trusting strangers and treating them like family so easily.

His eye twitched as he stalked back towards the brat that was trying to drive him insane "I want you to listen to me okay kid, I have express permission from the Hokage to teach my student, you being you I doubt even the Hokage could give me permission to teach you" the redhead knelt.

Trying not to be to harsh or get the kids hopes up "Won't you even try at all, I don't understand why everyone hates me, what could I have done that's so horrible" the blonde sunk in on himself, reminding him horribly of Sakura, less than stellar confidence.

And he really wanted to call it quits "There's no harm in trying just try not to be to upset when my request to take you on as a second student is rejected" Sasori stood brushing his pants legs off, baby blue eyes brightened much like Sakura and the kid even followed him all the way to the Hokage Tower.

"Good luck Sasori-ni I hope your request is accepted" Naruto cheered hopefully, most likely getting his hopes to high already despite being warned not to, Sasori snorted under his breath and with a roll of his eyes entered the tower.

Then it was a trial waiting to get a meeting with the Hokage and he wouldn't be surprised if the brat had already given up by the time he got in to see the Old Man "Please tell me something hasn't happened" Hiruzen sighed wondering what the rogue wanted now.

"Just saw some of your civilians treating a child cruelly, do you normally allow that to happen or aren't there consequences for that, also I'd like to take on a second student if you don't mind, Naruto Uzumaki" the crimson haired man announced in a deadpan voice.

Hiruzen choked on his latest puff of smoke from his pipe and coughed roughly "Di..Did you say young Naruto-kun, absolutely not, I know exactly why your taking an interest in him and I won't allow it" the Hokage stood, brown eyes hardened with anger and mistrust.

Exactly as he thought would happen "You don't have to worry, the only reason I was asking was because the brat wants me to teach him, he's standing out there all hopeful like" Sasori rolled his hazel eyes in light annoyance.

Making the Hokage think he wasn't the one who was truly interested in teaching the kid or anything to do with him really "Naruto-kun asked hmm…well I suppose if you brought me progress reports you can teach him a few things" Hiruzen commented.

Knowing that to refuse would have the boy in here pestering him until he relented anyway and truthfully the boy needed all the help he could get to protect himself from the dangers of the world, and who better than someone from Akatsuki to teach him all the essentials.

Sasori groaned inwardly but took the second official document that was held out to him, located the brats chakra and headed that way, he was still in the same place he'd left him "Well Sasori-ni, did old man Hokage agree to you teaching me" the blonde pestered with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

This earned another eye roll "Yes brat, I expect you to call me with a proper title during your first lesson understand, meet me here around 12:35 and you can meet my other student then" the redhead instructed, Naruto nodded his head eagerly then took off.

Finally leaving him to go home and write up another lesson plan for the blonde he was going to be taking under his wing as well, he rearranged a few things, added a couple new things in there for the brat and made up a test for the pinkette since it was the weekend.

Which meant a review of everything they'd gone over during the week, it would give him plenty of time to start Naruto on the right path to being a ninja of his village, hopefully anyway because he had no idea what the brat could do skill wise.

Glad he didn't have to sleep much, since he was in fact a puppet, he worked long into the night, managing to complete the lesson plans in the wee early morning hours, then he rested for a couple hours, before working on a new puppet, settling for regular wooden puppets than his specialty.

He wanted to be trusted after all, so he couldn't go around offing people in the village for his collection, around 12:30, Sasori stood, tucking all the lesson plans under his arm and left his apartment that he now paid for.

Walking at a brisk pace down the streets to the Hokage Tower "I..I'm not late am I S..Sasori err sensei" Naruto panted coming to a swift halt before him a couple minutes later, at exactly the time he'd told the boy to show up.

"Right on time, good, not bad, now lets go to where I meet my other student, she'll show up around 1, being on time can mean the matter between life and death remember that brat" Sasori lectured, leading the way down the streets to the small training grounds he'd been allotted.

Naruto nodded his head eagerly, soaking in everything he had to teach already like an absorbent sponge, perhaps it wouldn't be to hard to teach the boy after all, "Good Afternoon Sasori-sensei" Sakura jogged up to them about fifteen minutes later at exactly 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

Dressed in the pink yukata he'd gotten her, which was taken excellent care of "Afternoon Sakura, from today on I have another student to teach alongside you, Naruto, Sakura, Sakura, Naruto" the crimson haired undercover rogue introduced quickly.

Immediately Sakura recoiled at the sight of Naruto "My mom told me to stay away from him cause he's a demon" the pinkette frowned, not really believing everything the adults around her said, but she didn't want to get in trouble for disobeying either.

Just as he expected really "Take that back, I ain't no demon" the blonde cried in outrage, emotions running high already and it was only a few minutes into the lesson, if he didn't do something the situation would escalate and he wouldn't have any time to teach them.

"Enough, Sakura don't believe everything someone tells you, does Naruto look like a demon, no he doesn't so don't be prejudice against things you don't understand, now apologize and then you can get started on your test that I wrote up for you today" Sasori clapped his hands.

Drawing her gaze onto himself "Sorry Naruto, I just don't want to get in trouble with my parents for disregarding their orders, also Sasori-sensei I never said I believed them" Sakura lowered her gaze in the next moment, apologizing to the upset boy.

Sasori rolled his eyes at the antics of naive children "S'okay Sakura-chan, now can we get started please Sasori-sensei" Naruto pouted up at the man, taking after the only other child there and calling the man by his proper title.

Pleased that things were settling down "First, your test Sakura, then we'll review some things and see what you need to work on to improve, Naruto, I'm going to ask you some questions alright and I want you to answer them to the best of your abilities" the redhead instructed.

Beginning the lesson how he'd began Sakura's that first time as he handed over a stack of papers to the bubblegum haired girl, "Understood Sasori-sensei" the little fuscia haired five year old saluted, heading for a rock to start her test.

"Okay Sasori-sensei what kind of questions are they really hard, I'm not very good at hard questions you know" the blonde chattered a mile a minute, really testing his patience, Sakura wasn't this hyperactive after all.

But he shoved all his irritation to the side "Let me ask you what is Chakra, it doesn't have to be an exact definition, so long as you understand what it is" Sasori questioned, hoping the kid understood at least that much.

"It lets us use super cool jutsu's you know" Naruto burst out in a loud voice, a basic definition, much like how Sakura's had been, though she'd had a different definition to start with, and he wasn't exactly wrong either.

Off to the side he heard Sakura giggling under her breath, probably in response to Naruto's enthusiastic answer, his lips quirked up and so he decided to pat the blonde on the head "Good enough, next is….." the scarlet haired man continued.

Until poor Naruto couldn't understand anything he was being asked anymore "Can we be done with questions please Sasori-sensei my brain really hurts you know" the blonde held his head looking like he was in an immense amount of pain from the amount of thinking he'd had to do.

His brow twitched but Sasori relented to the request "Here Sasori-sensei I'm finished with my test" Sakura pranced over to them at exactly the same moment, holding out the stack of papers he'd given her with a proud look in her eyes.

She was very studious and he had no doubt that she'd nearly gotten everything correct "Do you want to do my review now, or wait until you get Naruto-kun started, Sasori-sensei" the rosette looked to Naruto, who looked to be in a little bit of pain.

"Just wait a moment Sakura, Naruto I want to see you focus chakra into your hands" Sasori demonstrated, wanting to see what he had to work with and how he could help the kid get better, though what happened next was not something he expected.

As Naruto's whole hand, not just the palm lit up a bright blue "I did it, I did it see Sasori-sensei" Naruto cheered happily, while Sakura watched in fascination, though she understood that, he was going to need a lot of chakra control training to in order to control his chakra output.

Sasori raised a brow, seemed his students were as different as day and night, meditation would help calm the kid down and chakra control exercises would help him control the amount of chakra he used for each jutsu "Not bad" he finally pat the boy on the head again.

Ruffling blonde locks "My turn right Sasori-sensei" Sakura perked up when his attention was on her, after setting Naruto the task of meditating for a little bit, then she was sticking water to her arm again, focusing intently, demonstrating her throwing skills and reviewing her taijutsu form.

Before being made to meditate for the next thirty minutes while Sasori worked with Naruto on chakra control, by the time their lesson session was over, Naruto could at least throw a shuriken to hit one of the outer rings of the target and both of them were set homework to complete.

The next week passed by quickly and on Friday, Sasori hurried to the weapons shop he found "How's the ear dagger coming along, did you get it in just as I ordered it" the scarlet haired man placed an arm on the counter waiting as patiently as possible.

He wanted to present it to his brat apprentice that day after all "Yeah we got it in, just as you ordered, green sheath, red tempered blade, with a dark pink cherry blossom on the sheath" a wrapped weapon was set down in front of him.

Sasori picked it up to inspect, testing the blade on himself, before re-sheathing and wrapping it again in the cloth "Perfect my student should be ecstatic with this" Sasori rolled his eyes in light annoyance/amusement before turning on his heel and heading home.

Until it was time to meet his students, it was after the session, when the two kids had finished their reviews of everything they'd learned that week and Naruto had already run off to who knows where, that he stopped Sakura from doing the same "What is it Sasori-sensei" Sakura asked.

Curious because usually once he'd assigned homework, they were free to go wherever they pleased "For all your hard work so far and the astounding progress you've made, I present you a gift" the crimsons haired man held out the wrapped weapon.

And Sakura took it carefully in her hands, unwrapping the cloth and even unsheathing it to take in the blade of the odd weapon "This is really mine Sasori-sensei" the rosette questioned in confusion, not really understanding because this wasn't a throwing weapon.

"It's for close combat fighting, to defend yourself just in case and yes it's yours Sakura, I'll explain what it is tomorrow and how to incorporate it into your close quarters style" Sasori nodded seriously, already thinking about what he could gift the blonde once he made more progress.

Emerald orbs lit up "I promise to take good care of it then Sasori-sensei" Sakura bowed, then took off, leaving him to head home again and work up a new lessons plan for Sunday to Saturday, another week as a private sensei to two brats, it was just his life now and he wouldn't have it any other way.


	4. Chapter 3

Before Sasori knew it, it was time for both Naruto and Sakura to enter the academy "We start tomorrow on Monday" Sakura told him after their session had ended for the day, now six, while the other was still five, with quite a few months to go before he turned the same age.

His eye twitched "Very well, if you can meet me here tomorrow after your both let out, if not, these are your homework assignments for tomorrow" Sasori handed over two packets, and each of his students took a packet.

Though the blonde brat was more reluctant, he knew the importance of homework "Later Sasori-sensei" Naruto waved, trudging off to the orphanage, it was going to be a really trying day for him tomorrow and the last thing he wanted was to have homework.

Sasori snorted and headed for the Hokage Tower to drop off Naruto's progress report to the Hokage like he'd been requested to do, this being the second one and the brat had definitely improved under his teachings like Sakura had.

And then it was the next day "Ready Sakura-chan" the blonde gulped loudly and Sasori rolled his eyes from where he was hidden in a tree watching them debate on whether they wanted to cross the schoolyard filled with other children and adults to get to the academy building for their first day.

"Not really Naruto-kun, but Sasori-sensei's counting on us to be the best we can be" the rosette blew out a breath, eyeing her park bully and her cronies warily, while holding out her hand for Naruto to take so they could get to their classroom and choose seats in the back of class.

When she felt his hand slide into her's, she squared her shoulders and marched across the schoolyard with determination in her gaze, nothing was going to get in her way, not even Ami, who spotted her and made a beeline straight for her.

Cutting her and Naruto off a few feet from the door to the academy "Hold it forehead I thought I told you to give up on being a ninja, that pink hair is a dead give away after all, go back to your freak parents and take the demon with you while your at it" Ami taunted cruelly.

Holding out her arms to prevent them from heading in and Sasori who was still watching wondered what his students would do "Move aside Ami, we have just as much right as you do, to become ninja of the Leaf Village, also your more a demon than Naruto-kun is" Sakura spat.

Baby blue eyes widened "Yeah Ami, so get out of our way or we'll kick your ass" Naruto announced seriously, Sasori covered his mouth to keep from laughing, perhaps he'd been spending to much time around the brats, otherwise he would have never found that funny.

Obviously Ami was shocked that she'd been stood up to so viciously as the two other kids went around her and linked hands again to enter the academy building, making their way to their homeroom classroom to choose seats in the back of the room.

There was another kid already sitting in the back but they didn't bother him any and Sakura noted that he was a Nara inwardly of course, before spreading her work material in front of her all nice and neat, then she cracked open a book to read while they waited.

With a huff Naruto did the same, cause he didn't want to disappoint Sasori-sensei, who was patiently teaching him though he wasn't a very good student and he'd made minimal progress, well that's what he thought anyway, but if asked Sasori would probably tell him differently.

It must have been twenty minutes later or so that other kids their age started pouring into the classroom, all the while their row-mate continued to nap, he briefly thought about waking him, but he didn't want to cause trouble or be called a demon again.

Just as he was about to delve into his book again, the door slid open for the second time since they'd been waiting, to reveal a brunet haired man, with onyx eyes, and a scar across his face, "Must be our sensei" the blonde whispered to his only friend.

Sakura lifted her gaze from her book, then promptly shut it, making him do the same "Probably Naruto-kun" the pinkette whispered back, staring forward with intense concentration as the man walked across the room to stand behind the teachers podium.

He looked more than a little nervous as he took a deep breath "I'm Iruka Umino, from now until you graduate I will be your homeroom sensei, I'll be teaching you basic Leaf Village History, Mathematics and Science" Iruka introduced himself along with the lesson's he'd be teaching.

Before making them do the same, when he got to the farthest back row, the lone girl in the middle nudged Shikaku's son and the boy sat up straight "Shikamaru Nara, my dream is have a good life, retire and get married" Shikamaru yawned tiredly.

Lazy like the rest of his clan "Sakura Haruno, my dream is to become the strongest kunoichi ever to be known, to surpass the Legendary Sannin Tsunade-sama herself" Sakura smiled brightly, because Sasori-sensei said she could do it, so she was going to believe him for now.

"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki, my dream is to be the greatest Hokage that this village has ever seen so that everyone will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody important, believe it" Naruto burst out loudly, then sat down sheepishly just as quickly.

Sasori-sensei would no doubt scold him if he ever learned that he got a little to hyperactive in class, Iruka cleared his throat and passed out the books needed for their lessons "Open to page 24 of your history books and take notes" the brunet stated.

Having already done the same, once he was sure all of his students had done as asked he began reading from the first paragraph, about twenty minutes in to the lesson, he asked a question "Who was our First Hokage" Iruka glanced up at his students.

Expecting to see lots of hands, but he only got a few, Naruto's, Sakura's, Sasuke's, and Ino's, it wasn't a whole lot but he would take it for now "How about Sakura-chan" the brunet haired Chunin gestured to the girl who's hand had raised the quickest if he wasn't wrong.

"Lord Hashirama Senju, Iruka-sensei, he's responsible for creating our village with the Uchiha Clan, he's the only known user of Mokuton Release and he's Tsunade-sama's grandfather" the rosette rattled off with ease sitting back in her seat with a proud smile.

Even information that he hadn't read aloud to them during the time he'd started their history lesson, he didn't comment on it though and continued the lesson "That was totally awesome Sakura-chan how you had him speechless you know" the blonde whispered in the next moment.

And her cheeks warmed "Okay who can tell me, who created the village rank system we have implemented still to this day" Iruka called next and both Naruto and Sakura's hand flew into the air, followed by Sasuke's and no one else's this time.

This time he called on Naruto "Tobirama Senju, he was Hashirama's younger brother, for some reason he had a thing against Uchiha's and never really trusted Madara Uchiha, though he did give the responsibility of protecting the village to the Uchiha" Naruto answered confidently.

Odd how it was with information that wasn't common knowledge, the rest of history class was like that, with a few other students participating in asking questions as well until, Iruka finally called time "Homework is to finish notes from pages 24-34" he said.

Passing around mathematics books to all of his students, by the end of that class, they had even more homework, equations 1-10, followed by a worksheet for science equations, then it was off to their next lesson, theory of genjutsu.

"Didn't Sasori-sensei say we weren't going to learn this until we were older Sakura-chan" the blue eyed blonde whispered in confusion to Sakura, who was similarly confused until she read over her class schedule again and was enlightened.

She shook her head "He meant practical lessons on genjutsu, this is only theory, though this will help Sasori-sensei out a lot if he doesn't have to explain all that much to us, so long as we make notes and keep them until he teaches us" the fuscia haired six year old smiled brightly.

Focusing her attention forward again and so he did the same, paying attention to the lesson as best he could, even jotting down notes, though not as much as Sakura, she was super studious as he'd learned and could retain more knowledge than he could.

By the time it was lunchtime, his brain really hurt "Come on Naruto-kun, let's try to get as much of this stuff done as we can, so that we can focus on our lesson with Sasori-sensei" Sakura dragged him off by the hand so they could eat lunch together.

Missing the incoming of her first friend "Hey Sakura, don't think I'm just going to let you get away with ignoring me anymore" Ino stood in front of her moments later, stooping them from finding a spot to sit down and eat.

Jade eyes widened "Leave Sakura-chan alone Yamanaka" Naruto huffed, not liking that his friend was getting bullied worse than he did sometimes, it just wasn't fair, Sakura-chan was really sweet and kind, with a temper though, he shuddered at that.

Ino reeled back "It's okay Naruto-kun and I'm sorry Ino-chan, I've just been really busy with no time to play" the pinkette apologized to her friend sheepishly, between studying and doing homework, then participating in actual lessons, she just hadn't had any time to do anything else.

"What is it that keeps you so busy now Sakura, or is the demon your new best friend and your lying" the Yamanaka Heiress snapped obviously not accepting the apology she'd been given, definitely jealous that she was being left out.

Naruto opened his mouth wide "For the last time Yamanaka I'm not a demon and the reason Sakura-chan's so busy is because she's got a sensei that teaches her everyday of the week alongside me, he gives us lots of homework" the Uzumaki stamped his foot angrily.

Getting really tired of being called a demon when he wasn't one in the least "You a no clan, billboard brow, pink haired freak and a demon receive special instruction from a Jonin sensei, ha don't make me laugh" Ami, who overheard the statement marched over.

A jealous look in her plain brown eyes "Well it's true so you know what Ami get over it" Sakura snapped, brown eyes widened then narrowed in anger, then Ami did the worst thing she could ever do, she drew her arm back and thrust it forward.

There was a loud crunch and then Sakura was on the ground "SAKURA-CHAN" Naruto screamed, gaining Sasori's attention, who'd been busy working on another puppet, while he waited to see if he would have enough time to train his brat students after academy let out.

Sasori took one look at the scene displayed before him then jumped down from the tree "What did you do Ami" even the blonde girl was worried about the knocked out pinkette as he made his way towards the four children, one who was splayed out on the ground.

Blood trickling from her nose "I..I didn't mean it okay" the purple haired girl ran away, fleeing in the face of possible consequences for her actions , unfortunately for her, she slammed right into Sasori, which scared her more than anything.

"Sasori-ni, Sakura-chan's hurt real bad and it's Himekari's fault, can you help her" the blonde brat he'd taken under his wing latched on, tears in his blue eyes and glancing between him and Sakura repeatedly at the awful situation.

He pinched the bridge of his nose though it wasn't necessary "You there, go get your sensei, inform him of the situation" Sasori barked at the blonde girl he didn't know the name of and the girl scrambled off as he bent to assess Sakura's condition.

There was already a black bruise spreading across the bridge of her nose and he could hazard a guess as to what had happened "Oh kami what happened here" a brunet he didn't know appeared five minutes later with the blonde girl in tow.

"That girl punched Sakura in the face and broke her nose" the redhead explained calmly, gesturing to Ami, who was sat off to the side looking pitiful, he hoped the brat got what she deserved for harming his student like she had.

As he gathered her up in his arms "Just make sure she gets healed okay, come along Ami, your going to the principle's with me to discuss your punishment for seriously injuring one of your classmates" Iruka grabbed the troublemaker by the arm gently and tugged her carefully after him.

"Iruka-sensei it's not fair, I didn't even do anything wrong, that freak is the one at fault" Ami complained the whole way back towards the building, Sasori rolled his eyes at the obnoxious little brat that continuously tried to bully Sakura, even when Sakura stood up to her she still didn't stop.

Naruto's shoulders slumped as he realized he was going to be alone for the rest of the day probably "Take care of Sakura-chan, Sasori-sensei" Naruto called after him a couple seconds later when he finally started walking away.

With a snort and a "Don't worry brat" thrown over Sasori's shoulder, the man was gone with Sakura in arms, Naruto trudged off in the direction Sakura had been nearly dragging him, and plopped down to get started on his homework while eating.

Partway through he realized that Ino had followed him "So I guess you guys were telling the truth, hey uh sorry for calling you that mean name and stuff" Ino apologized sheepishly, flopping down gracefully at his side, which earned her a look, so she scooted a couple inches away.

Giving him space that he no doubt wanted "She talks about you a lot you know, cause you're her best friend, I can't touch that spot" the slightly younger blonde admitted quietly a couple minutes later, working on their class homework they'd gotten so far from Iruka-sensei and another teacher.

Ino blinked in surprise "Really, well that's good to know" the Yamanaka Heiress smiled happily, filled with warmth that Sakura still consider them best friends, despite the fact they didn't get to see each other very much anymore.

~Meanwhile~

Sasori had made it to the hospital, after getting lost, since he'd never had to visit it, and getting directions, he'd finally made it "Excuse me Ma'am, but is there anyway you can get her in to see a medic, another child from the academy broke her nose, she's been out since" the redhead explained.

As he approached the hospital receptionist, who gasped in horror, then started rifling around in her desk for admittance papers "Here we are, just fill those out, even if your not her parent or legal guardian" the woman thrust the papers at him a couple minutes later.

For a moment he deliberated what to do with Sakura, until he gently placed her down on some chairs so he could sit and fill out the paperwork to get her in to see a medic, it took him ten minutes, then it was a trial waiting for a medic to be available.

"A medic can see you now Haruno-san" twenty minutes later to his absolute frustration, in which Sakura still hadn't woken up, this worried him more than he thought it would as he grabbed her up gently and followed the nurse down the hall to a room.

Where a medic worked out exactly what the problem was "Concussion, I'm guessing when she passed out she cracked her head on the ground, we might have to keep her overnight" the male medic informed after running the diagnostics jutsu over the little girl.

Sasori hissed at that "Very well I'll go tell her parents" the crimson haired rogue pasted on his best fake smile, then turned on his heel and marched off to the civilian section of the Leaf Village, upset that this incident was cutting into their time together.

Not to mention the brat was going to be pissy that she missed out on the rest of her first day at the academy "Oh Sasori-san what brings you here, is something wrong" Mebuki was the one to answer after five minutes of knocking.

But when questioned he gestured to the inside of the house, so she let him in and the two of them gathered in the living room where her husband was sat "Is this about her private lessons" Kizashi questioned in confusion, knowing that it would be hard for the man to continue now that Sakura was in the academy.

"Partially, the other reason I'm visiting, well Sakura was involved in an incident at the academy, another student broke her nose, but when she fell, it gave her a concussion, she might have to stay the night in the hospital" Sasori explained his main reasoning for showing up unexpected.

Just glad that the older Haruno's trusted him a little more with their daughter "Broken nose, concussion, hospital" the pink haired male, repeated in horror, Sasori winced looking upset himself about what had happened.

Mebuki pressed her face into her hands "My little girl is she going to be alright, please tell me she'll be alright" the blonde cried softly, worried for her daughter, just as he expected, this was not going how he wanted.

He rubbed his face "I think she'll be fine Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san, Sakura's a tough kid after all" the redhead reminded and the only male Haruno chuckled under his breath, knowing that his daughter's special instructor was right.

While his wife rolled her eyes "Now what about the lesson's I know it will be difficult to work around academy hours, so what do you think would be best" Mebuki forced herself not to think about where her daughter was instead began another topic of discussion.

The red haired man straightened "Due to how early and how late the academy let's out, I'm going to rearrange actual practical lesson's for the weekends only, and have the other lessons in the library after academy let's out for an hour and a half only" Sasori admitted.

Leaning back and waiting for the complaints "Okay that sounds reasonable, however Sakura-chan has an advanced class for Wednesdays and Thursdays for an extra forty-five minutes" Kizashi announced seriously, the principle had insisted after all and Sakura had looked happy with the idea of it.

Not to bad and he could work around it "Then the time will be shortened to forty five minutes those days, while the rest of the week is an hour and a half" the redhead concluded making to stand when Kizashi gestured for him to stay sitting.

"Before you go, we wanted to thank you for taking such great care of our little girl, we've decided to increase your weekly pay to a thousand ryo and we also ask a favor of you, three weeks from now, we'll be going on a sale's trip to outlying villages in Fire Country" Kizashi began.

"And we wish for you to take care of our daughter while we're going, which is another reason we're increasing your pay, we'll be gone for at least two weeks, so you'll get 2,000 ahead of time, we've already prepared for it" Mebuki finished.

That was another unexpected thing "Your daughter is in good hands" Sasori bowed his head lightly, going with the flow and not arguing, the Haruno's were serious about things after all, with that he stood and returned to the hospital to check on Sakura.

She was awake, but the medic insisted on keeping her overnight, so he headed off to find the blonde brat he was teaching and lay down the new schedule, assuring the kid that Sakura was okay, but she wouldn't be joining them that day for the study session they'd be conducting, until it was finally the end of the day.


	5. Chapter 4

Three weeks later found Sasori setting up in a guest room at the Haruno House as Mebuki and Kizashi took off for their two week sale's trip excursion to outlying villages and towns in Fire Country "I'm off to the academy Sasori-ni" Sakura called drawing him from his thoughts.

"Now hold up just a minute Sakura, are you absolutely sure you have everything necessary for your classes at the academy" Sasori raised a maroon brow on his first student, it would have stayed that way to if he'd just left Naruto well enough alone.

But there was no use in complaining now and the brat had really come a long way since over six months ago, Sakura blew out a breath but turned to face her special instructor "Absolutely Sasori-sensei" the pinkette said so he'd know that she was serious.

His lips quirked up in amusement which earned her a pat on the head "You know long hair isn't practical for a shinobi right" the red haired man pointed out lightly, seeing how long it already was, nearly past her shoulder blades and soon it would be getting in the way of everything.

"So you've told me Sasori-sensei, but can't I just put it up in a ponytail so it doesn't get in my way during training" Sakura pouted up at him adorably, his brow twitched, damn it all, how the hell had he grown so soft as to be affected by that sort of thing.

With a sigh "Perhaps, later, now get to class, I'll see you in the library with Naruto" Sasori ushered her off, Sakura smiled bright and waved before hurrying down the streets to the academy, keeping an eye out for trouble, a.k.a Ami Himekari.

Who'd taken to really trying to bully her a lot lately after that incident, "Morning Sakura-chan" Naruto greeted when she plopped down in her seat next to him, their other row-mate not there yet, but Ino was early and in the row below them.

"Yeah good morning Sakura" Ino turned around hearing her friends name, then glanced left and right warily for her ex friend, only to let out a sigh of relief, as she realized that the girl wasn't there yet, so refocused her attention Sakura again.

She was currently setting up all her materials on the desk as she did every morning "Good morning Ino-chan, Naruto-kun, are you ready for today, I heard Iruka-sensei is going to have us start actually sparring against one another" the rosette chattered excitedly.

It was a secret side of her that she kept hidden from Sasori-sensei, who already had one hyperactive student to deal with and he didn't need another one "I heard that to and I am so excited for it believe it" the blonde at her side cheered just as excited as she was.

Below them Ino rolled her pupil-less blue eyes in response "Whatever, sparring entails getting physical and I don't like that, it's not for girls, seduction is for girls but they don't have that sort of class" the Yamanaka Heiress huffed obviously not liking the physical portion of the academy.

The duo above her rolled their eyes in mock annoyance "Whatever, sparring entails actually getting physical and I don't like that, come on Ino-chan, live a little or do you really not want to become a ninja like the rest of us" Naruto teased.

Her eyes flashed with anger and she opened her mouth to retaliate "Now, now, Ino-chan, you know Naruto-kun's just teasing, don't take everything he says seriously" Sakura snorted intervening before a shouting match could begin to keep the peace essentially.

A moment later Ino's attention was diverted "Oh Sasuke-kun come sit with me" Ino called in the next second, a stupid smile on her face, Sakura pressed her lips together, hating how her friend got so distracted because of a boy that would never have anything to do with her.

Just as she thought, Sasuke, the coolest boy in class or so said every other girl that wasn't her or Hinata, snubbed Ino and hurried towards his desk in the farthest most row he could get away from the blonde heiress, not that Ino really understood in the least that he didn't like her.

"Let it go Sakura-chan" the Uzumaki patted her gently on the hand knowing how she felt, falling in love at their age was so tacky, not to mention it distracted them from their studies, Sasori-sensei would have a cow if they ever acted like Ino did sometimes over a boy or a girl in Naruto's case.

So she set back in her seat and waited patiently until Iruka-sensei got there to start their lessons, history, math, science, theory of genjutsu, all stuff that they'd studied in depth before academy ever started and finally it was lunch time.

Ami had taken over their usual spot that day so they found another place to sit and eat "So what's it like receiving private instruction from an actual jonin sensei" the blonde heiress questioned, having been wanting to ask for awhile, but kept forgetting.

"Definitely different than being in a classroom, though Sasori-sensei still assigns us homework everyday and we have tests and practicals on the weekends, reviews as well so he can see what we need to work on or if we can move on to something new" the rosette explained carefully.

Pupil-less blue eyes went wide in horror "You mean that he makes you do homework, even though you get homework from the academy, that's awful and I'd make your parents find you a new sensei, cause he sounds like an inconsiderate jerk" Ino scowled.

"Nah not really, Sasori-sensei's actually pretty considerate and the homework isn't to hard, plus he helps us with our regular homework to, completely changed the schedule we had going on to accommodate us going to the academy" Naruto chattered.

Fiddling with his chopsticks, trying to twist his wrist just right, emulating how he would hold the custom made weapon Sasori had gifted him for coming so far under his teachings, it was a cinquedea, a dark blue tempered blade, a dark orange sheath and black whisper marks as a defining mark.

Ino gaped and looked to Sakura who nodded "That's just how it is Ino-chan" Sakura giggled, pulling out the homework they'd gotten so far and working on it now that she was done eating, which prompted Naruto to do the same, that way they would have less to do later.

And Sasori could teach them more, twenty-five minutes later after nearly an hour lunch period, the three of them marched to the small training grounds the academy had been allotted "As you no doubt know, today we'll be starting actual taijutsu spars" Iruka informed.

Gasps could be heard all around "I want to fight that pink haired billboard brow freak Iruka-sensei, please I can beat her hands down" Ami jumped up and down waving her hand, hatred in her brown eyes for being stuck in detention all month long so far, from day one.

"We've talked about this Ami, you don't insult your classmates, if you don't want another week of detentions added onto your punishment for seriously injuring Sakura, then I suggest you apologize" the brunet in charge of them scolded sharply.

The girl reeled back in shock then muttered a half ass apology that Sakura most certainly did not accept in the least "Now, if you would please line up in an orderly way, we can begin our practical lessons" Iruka cleared his throat.

On his command the children scrambled to line up all good and proper "Sasuke vs Sakura, come, face each other, good bow, and remember this is a friendly spar only, no seriously injuring your opponent understand" the brunet haired Chunin reminded seriously.

Making most of his students gulp "Can we just get this spar over and done with already" Sasuke scowled not happy that he was pitted against a girl, who was a stupid fan-girl no doubt and he was just waiting for the insipid idiot to ask him out.

Unfortunately that mentality and way of thinking of his, had him seriously underestimating his opponent, as Iruka glanced between the two of them and started the spar, then Sakura lunged "Ha beat ya" the fuscia haired six year old proclaimed two minutes later.

Him sprawled out on his stomach, arms behind his back and her looming over him, a gleam of triumph in her emerald orbs, in the tree watching, Sasori snorted out a laugh at the antics of his pink haired student, definitely more than a little amused.

As Sakura released her captive on her academy sensei's instruction and skipped over to join Naruto in the line again, before systematically beating everyone of her classmates at the taijutsu spars, even the knucklehead he'd taken under his wing.

Before they moved on to running laps, doing push ups and sit ups, practicing on straw dummies and lastly practicing their throwing skills, until the academy finally let out "Just make sure you get all your homework done before tomorrow" Iruka called as his students scurried off to home.

Or wherever else they went, his gaze caught a flash of pink and orange "Sakura-chan before you go, there's something I'd like to talk to you about" he stopped the young girl from running off, and she marched determinedly towards his desk.

While Naruto hung back waiting "Yes what is it Iruka-sensei, am I in trouble for you know the spars" Sakura lowered her gaze obviously thinking that she was about to be punished, despite Sasori's constant reassurances and encouragement, she still had little confidence in herself.

Iruka shook his head and waved his hands "Not at all Sakura-chan, in fact I want to recommend you for the advanced taijutsu class, that only those specializing in taijutsu can enter, there's a couple second years, and a fifth year student already I believe" the brunet assured.

Not wanting the girl to think he was punishing her at all "Oh well I'm interested, but I can't make any decisions right now, since my parents are off on a sales trip for two weeks" the pinkette perked up in excitement, hoping they let her.

Her sensei chuckled and waved her off "Come on Sakura-chan, we don't want to be late or we'll be scolded on how being on time could mean the matter of life and death again" Naruto grabbed Sakura by the hand, intriguing him with the oddness of the statement then both children were gone.

All the way to the library where Sasori met them as he did every day, except for that first day "Good your here, let's begin shall we" the redhead led them into the library and they buckled down finishing their homework from the academy.

Then he had them studying all manners of other things, theory of elemental natures, in depth information on other countries and shinobi nations, theory of genjutsu, which they were already learning, then he set them homework when it their session ended, Naruto ran off, but he followed Sakura back to her house.

Where he cooked dinner, subtly teaching her in a way, her listening with rapt attention at the kitchen table, no doubt soaking in everything he said like a sponge, she sat down to work on her homework he'd assigned afterwards before running off to bed a couple hours later.

Before they knew it, it was Wednesday "Guess I'll see you at the library later than usual Sasori-ni" Sakura waved quietly, strangely demure that morning, Sasori watched her go, then followed after her a couple minutes later like he always did.

Perhaps he was just imagining things, her moods changed constantly after all, since she was still a child, as he was beginning to relax, content to just follow his charge like he did, Sakura was approached by a masked man and his eyes narrowed in fury.

"Did you think about what Lord Danzo is offering you child" he overheard the man ask, Danzo was someone Orochimaru had talked about constantly, Danzo who was a bastard and traitor of the Hidden Leaf Village, if only the Hokage could find proof.

But that wasn't the point right now, if that man so much as touched his student he would kill him consequences be damned "Yeah I did and my answer is no, cause I'm already being taught everything I need to know" the rosette raised her chin in defiance.

Clearly not being cowed at all by the masked man or Danzo, his lips quirked up and he jumped down into the street to stand behind her, pressing a hand to her head as he did so "Come along Sakura you don't want to be late to the academy do you" Sasori reminded picking her up.

And she shook her head, allowing herself to be carried under his arm "Thank you Sasori-ni" Sakura murmured softly, this earned her a very small smile and then she was being set on her feet and ushered towards the doors of the academy, while he made for his usual tree to keep watch.

Naruto eyed her closely when she sat in her usual seat between him and Shikamaru "That creepy old guy didn't stop you again did he" Naruto whispered carefully, having been there when the man had approached his friend the first time.

"Uh-uh, a masked guy met me this time and I told him straight up no, then Sasori-sensei rescued me" the pinkette admitted quietly, casting furtive glances at the sleeping Nara, who often times feigned being asleep so he could eavesdrop on their conversation all the time.

Like now for instance as his brow twitched, the only telling sign that he was faking, so she inched closer to Naruto and lowered her voice even more "Whoa that's definitely scary Sakura-chan, I think you should tell old man Hokage" the blonde exclaimed.

Keeping his voice to a low volume like she was, Shikamaru cracked open an eye to peer at them and hastily shut it as he realized that he'd been outed, Sakura rolled her eyes "I'm thinking about it Naruto-kun and explaining to Sasori-ni to" Sakura explained.

Shooting Shikamaru another look "Let's just focus on classes okay Sakura-chan" Naruto sighed, wishing he could do more than what he could, it was way to frustrating, but they did buckle down and focus on their lessons.

Before the whole day had gone by "See you in about forty-five minutes Naruto" the fuscia haired six year old waved heading for the after hours advanced class, excited and burden free for the time being, Naruto sulked but made his way for the library.

"There you are, I was wondering if you were going to show up again, after how last Thursday's class went" the sensei of the class smiled kindly, belying his true nature, when she stepped foot in his classroom with four other kids.

Much older than herself, since the class was made up of one fifth year, two sixth years and a seventh year student to boot "Of course Touma-sensei, I actually like the advanced class" Sakura admitted sheepishly not wanting to be scolded right away for almost being late.

It's why he'd said what he'd said, though last Thursday had been awful, Touma cleared his throat "We'll begin by reviewing what we learned last Thursday, everyone come get a inkpot" the blue haired man ordered not letting his youngest student off so easily.

She hid her frustration well as she came up to get the special inkpot that had been made specifically for his class "Now remember adding chakra to the ink, requires concentration and a great amount of focus, one slip up and boom" Touma instructed.

Gesturing at Sakura for example, who glared harshly at the inkpot, then they were made to practice, he kept his eyes on her the most as she took a deep breath and her hand lit up blue, focusing it over the inkpot, ink already within.

A bead of sweat appeared on her forehead a minute or two later from her intense concentration of the task, twenty minutes later with no mishaps, Touma ended the review session, "Outside for the lot of us, to practice drawing the exploding seal" he barked yet again,

Herding his five students of varying ages out the door to the training grounds, then they were made to draw seals, over and over again for ten minutes, leaving the last fifteen minutes of the advanced chakra control class for actually setting off the exploding tag.

It was a little scary for a six year old, but the explosion wasn't to destructive, burnt the ground a little but that's about all the advanced class sensei expected out of her really "Good now get lost" Touma growled tired of dealing with the five brats.

They scrambled inside for their stuff and skedaddled, though she made a beeline for the library "Right on time Sakura, I was just about to move on to explaining how to find out what your chakra natures are" Sasori looked up as she plopped down in a chair.

"Fun can't wait" the rosette huffed, drained of energy and chakra, that advanced class really got her down sometimes, Sasori snorted and launched into the lecture, before making the two kids study for the rest of the time they had or do homework from the academy if they had it.

Naruto paused in rushing off this time "Uh Sasori-sensei, there's something we need to talk about" the little blonde said seriously, not wanting this matter to go un-dealt with, especially since Sakura was possibly in danger from that creepy old guy.

Sasori knew exactly what he was talking about strangely enough "Your right, there is something I need to discuss with you, Sakura, when did Danzo first approach you and why, what did he want" the crimson haired rogue demanded to know.

The girl hunched her shoulders "Err yesterday actually and he's taken notice of my talents and wants to put me in some root organization, the only problem is that I'd never get to see any of you again, not even my Mom or Dad, so I said no" Sakura lowered her gaze.

Until Sasori pressed his hands to her shoulders and made her look up at him "I need to know these things okay Sakura, otherwise I wouldn't be a very efficient sensei, no, next time tell me right away so that we can go straight to the Hokage" Sasori scolded gently.

"I still think you should do that now, otherwise that creepy old guy Danzo isn't going to stop bugging Sakura-chan about joining his dumb horrible sounding organization" Naruto piped in knowing the elder well from his multiple dealings with them cause of his mischief-making.

His lips twitched in amusement "Go on home Sakura, I'll be back later, once I inform the Hokage of what his old friend is doing" the redhead nudged her off, Sakura puffed up her cheeks at him but reluctantly started home without him.

"See you tomorrow in class Sakura-chan" the Uzumaki that was her second friend, third technically since Sasori of course, waved, disappearing down the streets to wherever his house was, leaving her to walk home alone.

Partway there, she took notice that someone was following her, based on the shadow that crept up on her, Sakura swung around, pulling her dagger from it's sheath "What do you want" Sakura held out the dagger in the proper way, ready to defend herself at all costs.

Emerald met amused onyx "Quirky little kid aren't you, so….you are Sakura-chan right, the one that beat Sasuke-chan at taijutsu spars on Monday, pardon me, my name is Shisui Uchiha and the great Fugaku-sama the leader of the Uchiha clan wants to meet you" then the guy started chattering a mile a minute.

When he paused for a breath, the only response he got was the little girl blinking at him, followed by her backing up several steps, gaze wary and dagger still held out "And why is your clan leader taking an interest in me, I'm a nobody" the pinkette stated not believing him for a minute.

"Cause according to Sasuke-chan, you not only beat him, but every single one of your classmates and he overheard that Iruka wants to put you in the advanced taijutsu class that only those specializing in taijutsu get to be put in" Shisui explained patiently.

Jade eyes narrowed in suspicion, hating how people approached her when there were no adults around to help her out, Shisui inwardly cursed his luck, Sasuke had said she was pretty approachable, yet here he was and she was completely afraid of him.

"Okay what can I do to make you believe that I'm not lying" the Uchiha finally asked, rocking on his heels back and forth, back and forth in a maddening way, while trying to figure out a way to get the girl to come with him willingly to the Uchiha Compound.

Finally Sakura lowered her dagger and sheathed it, this he took as a good sign and took three steps forward, wrong and she scrambled back from him further away this time "Keep your distance alright, I don't know if I can trust you to tell me the truth, cause you might be working with Danzo to" Sakura held out her arms.

To fend him off, fear in her emerald orbs, 'Ahh so that's it, she thinks I'm one of Danzo's' he mused inwardly "I'm not, if I were, I would have already taken you despite you waving a dagger around" Shisui pointed out lightly, hoping to resolve this peacefully.

Before he had to take drastic measures "Either way I can't go with you not right now, I have someone waiting for me at home that doesn't like me being late" the rosette announced then turned on her heel and ran away from him as fast as possible to his utter frustration.

Looks like he was taking that drastic measure, because he wouldn't accept defeat at the hands of a pint sized pink haired six year old girl, he darted forward, snapped her off her feet and with a sigh of the wind was gone all the way to the Uchiha Compound.

Reappearing in front of the clan leaders house moments later "Sorry Sakura-chan but remember you forced me to do this" the Uchiha stated even as she glared up at him from under his arm, completely rigid in his grip.

Then he threw open the door to the house they were stood before "Mikoto-sama, Fugaku-sama I brought our guest along with me" Shisui called loudly, shucking his sandals and her's at the same time, all the while she kept up that penetrating and accusing glare.

Itachi rounded the corner at his hollering and glanced furtively at the little girl his best friend carried under his arm, the little girl who was glaring murderously at Shisui for some reason or another "Looks like it" Itachi greeted, and her expression soured further.

Especially when Shisui refused to put her down as they headed for the kitchen "Oh my you really do have pink hair like Sasuke-chan told us, how cute" his mother Mikoto Uchiha squealed instantly taking a liking to the young child.

Who'd been silent thus far, but at his mother's squealing it seemed she was breaking her silence as she opened her mouth "My babysitter isn't going to be happy and I don't enjoy being forced into things against my will" Sakura scowled.

Not a happy camper in the least at the moment "Hold on Shisui, I told you to invite her, not practically kidnap her" his father Fugaku Uchiha stood, Shisui grimaced, but kept up his hold on the little girl that had beaten his youngest in a spar.

"I did Fugaku-sama, but she ran, was wary from the get-go" the fourteen year old huffed clearly flustered by the little girls refusal to come with him peacefully, Itachi bit back a smile of amusement finding it funny that someone had actually run away form his friend.

Sakura deigned to open her mouth again "Yeah cause if I'm even the teeniest bit late, my babysitter goes into the spiel about how being on time could mean life or death, it's annoying to hear all the time you know" the pinkette grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at the floor.

"Babysitter Sakura-chan, what about your parents, surely they haven't left you alone with this person" the Uchiha Matriarch questioned in confusion, not liking how this meeting was suddenly turning out, they hadn't thought she'd be so difficult to manage probably.

Her expression soured again "Their merchants, they'll be gone for a couple of weeks, so yes I'm alone with him" Sakura sulked, why did things like this keep happening to her, it just wasn't fair, all she'd wanted to do was go home and work on her homework that she'd been assigned.

But no things just had to be difficult for her "Him you mean your parents left you with a male babysitter, that's just wrong" the Uchiha Patriarch was very close to showing an expression of horror to both of his children's surprise.

"He's not bad, strange sure, but it's not like he stares at me or anything or tries to touch me, he even told me that if I ever caught him doing something like that I had permission to hit him where the sun doesn't shine" the fuscia haired girl explained.

Sasori was important to her, he'd taught her lots of things and she enjoyed being around him all the time "Really he gave you permission to do that" the Uchiha heir, Sasuke's older brother probably that Sasuke loved to rant about, perked up amusement in his gaze.

And she nodded silently "Oh yeah that's right, your the girl that Himekari punched out on the first day broke your nose and gave you a concussion to if I recall" Sasuke decided to speak up for the first time since she'd been forcibly brought to his house.

Mikoto's eyes rounded in horror, just as a poof of smoke filled the kitchen "Fugaku Uchiha your required by the Hokage, it seems Sasori Akasuna's student Sakura Haruno has gone missing….." an anbu appeared from within the smoke, only to trail off as he spotted the missing six year old.

Immediately the girl shrunk back at the sight of his mask, he'd already been warned by the Hokage that Danzo was after the child for her blossoming talents, Fugaku rubbed his temples "Direct him here please" Fugaku requested, feeling a headache coming on.

Shisui was definitely going to be punished for this later if things didn't turn out right, a second later Sasori with a wild look in his eyes arrived, only calming down when he spotted her alright, if not wearing a very unhappy expression on her face.

"Can you put me down already please" Sakura who was starting to really dislike being held like she was complained and was promptly set on her feet, to which she latched onto Sasori, glad to be in his presence again, Fugaku narrowed his gaze.

But didn't comment on her clinging "Now care to tell me why you were holding Sakura here, when I told her specifically to go home, her parents left strict rules for her to follow" Sasori raised a maroon brow, while settling a hand atop Sakura's head to calm her down.

There were tears in her eyes he just knew it and he hated crying brats more than anything "Invited, but Shisui-chan went and made things all complicated, my apologies I am Mikoto Uchiha, Itachi and Sasuke's mother and Matriarch of the clan" Mikoto explained.

And Shisui flushed in embarrassment "She just wouldn't listen I'm sorry" Shisui apologized feeling like an idiot, if he'd only known he wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake like he had or cause worry in someone.

"Right and why did you invite Sakura here" the crimson haired man asked patiently, well as patiently as he could when he was already at his wits end with things, and Danzo pulling that stunt he had, Sakura was probably never going to want to leave his side now.

Here the leaders of the Clan paused unsure of how to explain what it was they wanted "They wish to put Sakura-san in a betrothal contract with Sasuke-otouto, her chakra control and other skills will refresh the clan so to speak when it's time for them to marry and produce children" Itachi stepped in at that moment.

Not expecting the violent reaction "No way, absolutely not I refuse, one I don't like Sasuke like that, two I'm to young, three, all the other girls will bully me for life even Ino-chan and four I want to fall in love with someone I choose on my own time" the pinkette rejected.

Sasori's brows raised high and he fought back the snort of laughter that wanted to escape "Hey there isn't nothing wrong with me, why can't you fall in love with me like all the other girls in our class" the youngest Uchiha in their midst piped in with a cry of outrage.

Unhappy that he'd been rejected, when he was sort of interested in her "Cause Sasuke I'm not like all the other girls in class, besides Hinata, who focus on my looks only, I'm going to be a super strong kunoichi just like Tsunade-sama so I have to concentrate on my studies" Sakura huffed.

Shisui turned his head away shoulders shaking in laughter and Itachi merely watched on with amusement "Either way that decision isn't up to you, it's up to your parents" the Uchiha Patriarch announced bluntly, hoping they said yes.

"Yeah, so there" Sasuke stuck his tongue out, only to be scuffed over the back of his head by his mother as the redhead he'd seen a lot picked his classmate up and tucked her under his arm, before vanishing in a plume of smoke.

All the way back to home "You don't think they'd force me into it do you Sasori-ni" the rosette questioned disheartened by all that had happened that day, first that jerk Danzo sends someone, then her advanced class sensei was mean and then she was practically kidnapped.

Now this it really do anything to boost her confidence at "I don't think so Sakura, just sit down and get started on your work alright, I'll cook dinner" Sasori grimaced, disappearing into the kitchen for the next forty minutes to make the evening meal.

When she was done eating and he reviewed her homework to make sure it was all good, he sent her off to take a bath, telling her to take her time and relax, there was no hurry, she needed it a little after that day, then he bid her goodnight and made sure she actually went to bed.

For the rest of the time he was in charge of Sakura, it was definitely a trial and tested his patience more than once and when Mebuki and Kizashi came marching down the streets, Sasori was more than happy to rush off leaving Sakura to her parents for the morning.

Though when all was said and done, and he'd explained everything that had happened to them, he accompanied the couple to the Uchiha Compound and the Main family house for the meeting, when they all walked away hours later, Sakura was still free to choose whoever she wanted to be with.


	6. Chapter 5

When the two kids that he was teaching were eight or almost eight in the case of Naruto, Sasori went to the principle of the academy and took them out of classes for two whole weeks, one to give them a break from classes or advanced classes in the case of Sakura.

And two, to teach them some new things that he'd been wanting to teach them but found no time to since they were in the academy all the time "Feels good to be out of class, even though we have all that homework to do" Naruto exhaled glad to be out of the classroom for once.

Back to how things use to be before they'd started the academy "Agreed but I think Sasori-sensei took us out so he could actually teach us some stuff that we probably won't learn in the academy" Sakura pointed out, giddy with excitement at the thought.

Gesturing to the patiently waiting man, though he was tapping his foot, once he realized he had their full focus though he straightened and cleared his throat "First off, I wanted to commend both of you for, improving as much as you have in the last few or two and a half years" Sasori said.

To start them off, their expressions brightened at the praise in response "Do we get rewards as well Sasori-sensei" the blonde asked a hopeful glint in his eyes, he was always so eager to receive some sort of gift from him for some reason.

Probably because he had no parents and never received a birthday gift, not even from him really, but rewards could be likened to birthday gifts "Yes, but after our lesson understand" the redhead informed with a light chuckle.

"Okay so what is it your going to be teaching us today Sasori-sensei" the pinkette questioned, emerald orbs bright, with an eager expression on her face, ready to absorb whatever he taught her like a sponge, Naruto as well.

He cleared his throat "Elemental natures, both of you, constructing antidotes for Sakura and for Naruto, you'll be learning the shadow clone jutsu since it's your worst skill right now" Sasori reeled off, not realizing he was being watched just yet.

Emerald and baby blue eyes lit up in excitement "That is so totally cool Sasori-sensei and I can't wait to learn you know" Naruto chattered in that same hyperactive way, it was just the kids way and he couldn't break him from that at all, even though it annoyed him most of the time.

And really tested his patience "Calm down Naruto-kun" Sakura scolded lightly, itching to behave in the same way, Sasori expected more of her though so she couldn't, during the moment he was rifling through his storage pouch, her attention drifted and she saw something strange.

Without really thinking about it, Sakura moved towards the strange thing, Sasori pausing in explaining what he was handing over to Naruto to watch her instead, confusion in his hazel eyes, not really seeing what she was looking at himself "What is it Sakura" the redhead asked.

"Is that normal for the air to ripple like that Sasori-sensei, could it be a genjutsu" the rosette gestured up at the tree, just as the air rippled, then revealed the person hidden underneath the genjutsu, Sasori lunged and grabbed her off her feet.

As he saw who dropped down from the tree to solid earth "Looks like your student is more in tune with illusions than you are Akasuna-san" Itachi Uchiha, anbu at only the age of thirteen commented, not really having expected to be found out, he'd underestimated Sakura it seemed.

Sasori set the girl on her feet and shuffled her behind him alongside Naruto, both of whom were quiet "And why are you approaching us Uchiha, Sakura's parents already made their choice and there's no point in pressuring her to choose your little brother either" Sasori reminded harshly.

The blonde that was the Fourth Hokage's son flinched at the tone "Nothing like that, I merely wished to talk to you about your previous dealings" the Uchiha heir explained carefully, keeping in mind that there were children around.

"Let me get them set up on learning academy level elemental ninjutsu" the crimson haired man grumbled, if he could he would totally forget about his past and just stay there, but then he remembered he was only undercover and when the brat was thirteen, he would have to go back.

At least then it would only be a two and a half year wait until he saw her again, Itachi nodded and he turned to his students again, handing them a little slip of paper, that he told them to focus chakra in, the different elements surprised him though.

Sakura had earth and water, the potential to learn other natures was there as well, while Naruto only had wind "Good for Sakura, Suiton: Bubble Jutsu and Doton: Rock Dagger, for Naruto, Futon: Gale Palm" he held out individual scrolls detailing the jutsu's plus hand signs.

Then stalked to a different spot on the training grounds and set up all kinds of privacy jutsu's, to talk and keep an eye on his students at the same time "My clan elders are planning a coup, Father's trying to hold them off, and Danzo's pressuring me to kill them all except for Sasuke" Itachi explained immediately.

"You want my help in taking out Danzo, and ensure a way that would allow some of your clan to survive the massacre" Sasori narrowed his eyes on the teenager, it would be a direct stance against Akatsuki helping the Leaf Village out in its time of need.

Itachi grimaced but nodded his head again "Precisely, not all the clan deserves to die, Sasuke wouldn't understand either" the Uchiha heir frowned deeply, a tired look etched into his eyes, he didn't want to have to do this, but it was the only way to protect his village.

Sasori rubbed his face "Fine, choose at least ten people, barring your brother that you want to keep alive and I'll make a poison that's more an sedative, than actual poison, for you to use while committing the act, I assume your going to Akatsuki right" the redhead raised a brow.

A sharp breath was his answer "Yes, it's only logical, I'll keep tabs on them, send information, be a double agent just like you" Itachi announced, lips pressed into a thin line "Now what can be done about Danzo" he pressed wanting all of this to end.

He wasn't even going to ask how the thirteen year old knew he was a double agent "The Hokage already suspects his old friend of treason, I can acquire evidence and Danzo will be no more, how much time do I have to work with" Sasori smirked.

Taking out Danzo would be a piece of cake, and he'd do it happily for the bastard continued to haunt Sakura's every step no matter how many times the girl had told him bluntly no and that she wasn't going to be joining his shoddy organization.

"One week is that enough, the elders are getting forceful with my Father, it's only a matter of time before they take drastic measures" the ebony haired thirteen year old explained urgently, he knew they were keeping an eye on him to, for being his Father's biggest supporter in remaining peaceful.

But the elders of the clan were making things very difficult "Plenty, go on Uchiha, I'll meet you in one weeks time and don't let that idiot friend of yours do anything on his own" Sasori ushered the young teenager off, warning about Shisui's reckless tendencies in the meantime.

Earning an odd and suspicious look "Thank you Akasuna-san when I'm part of the organization I'll keep them off your tail as much as possible, best not to keep those two waiting any longer it seems" Itachi bowed, then chuckled at the impatient looking children.

Well one more than the other, Sakura seemed the most collected out of the rogues students, Sasori snorted but there was a odd look in his eyes that told Itachi the man might even be the tiniest bit fond of the kids, not that Sasori would ever admit it as the privacy jutsu's were taken down.

"Is everything okay Sasori-sensei, you took quite awhile, I had to help Naruto-kun figure out how to use his jutsu even" Sakura frowned, looking the most worried and casting furtive glances at Itachi, who'd apologized for how Shisui had acted that one day.

He should have figured "In tune to illusions and the understanding of basic jutsu theory now that's impressive, nothing to worry about, Akasuna-san was just answering a couple of my question about a birthday gift for Sasuke, see he's a master puppeteer" the Uchiha heir placated with ease.

Lies rolling from his tongue with no small amount of effort, Sakura's eyes flickered in excitement because clearly she hadn't known that about her sensei "Can we talk about that after, I'd really like to get back to training please" Naruto sulked.

Now that got a snort from Sasori, who ruffled each child's hair "Very well, demonstrate those jutsu's for me, then we'll move on to individuals" the crimson haired man gestured and both kids turned away from him to demonstrate their jutsu's.

Hazel eyes honing in on the ease in which Sakura used water jutsu's but slightly struggled with her earth jutsu, while Naruto's wind jutsu burst from his palm violently, which indicated he needed more chakra control lessons.

Then he set them to work on their individuals, gifting Sakura her own portable burner, medicinal herb kit, a mortar and pestle, healing scroll, beaker, flasks, vials, filter paper, a vial full of purple poison, and the recipe for the poison to use as reference.

Next he turned to Naruto, showing him the hand sign for shadow clone jutsu and stood back to watch "Awfully difficult for her don't you think Akasuna-san" Itachi was still hanging about, he would go when he had to, but for now he was interested in watching the kids learn.

"Don't underestimate Sakura, she'll have the antidote crafted within minutes I'm sure, once the water gets to boiling point and soon she won't even need the poison's recipe to craft them" Sasori scoffed, having more faith than anyone.

Cause that brat is the one who made an antidote to his super complicated poison in the future, Itachi looked shocked for a brief moment before glancing forward again until another question came to mind "Why take an interest in a non-clan kid though" the thirteen year old inquired.

Brown eyes bore into the side of his head intently which indicated that Sasori was debating on whether or not to say or if he could be trusted fully "That brat is going to be the one to kill me in the future, without help this time from my grandmother" the redhead growled.

Obsidian irises widened "You mean you'd have her kill you, her own sensei, that's cruel don't you think" Itachi pointed out with a grimace, not liking the older male's thought process or plans for the young girl in their midst.

"Look Uchiha I know what I'm doing" Sasori scoffed not wanting to be lectured, he already knew it was cruel and maybe he shouldn't have gotten involved or so bloody attached, not that he would admit it, but it had to be her and no one else, he wouldn't accept it.

Just then Naruto got frustrated with his task "Gah I can't do it, this is to hard" the blonde flopped on the ground throwing a mini temper tantrum, Sakura stared intently at her water, which still had yet to boil before turning firmly to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, Sasori-sensei wouldn't have set you on the task to learn how to use shadow clones if he didn't think you could do it, your the one that got impatient when he was busy, so focus and don't lose hope, believe you can do it as well" the rosette huffed.

Turning back to her own task, leaving behind a baffled blonde, who puffed up his cheeks for a moment, then returned to practicing the shadow clone jutsu, thirty minutes later only Sakura had managed to complete her task so Sasori made them do something different.

"Meditation for Sakura, chakra control for Naruto, your still outputting to much chakra for jutsu's brat and Sakura your chakra reserves are still low, not as bad as it use to be, but still lower than other academy students" the scarlet haired man instructed.

Sakura's cheeks reddened at that, and he winced realizing how he sounded "What I think Akasuna-san meant by that Sakura-san is that you've made astounding progress, you just need a little more and you'll be on par with your classmates" the ebony haired teen soothed.

Before heading off in the next moment, knowing he was being watched now and he didn't want to cast any suspicion on Sasori so that he'd be watched as well, while Sakura smiled bright and sunk into a meditative trance, and Naruto was stuck practicing the leaf sticking technique.

Until their time was finally up, Naruto all to happily sped off, though he'd improved just a bit, and Sasori followed Sakura to make sure she made it home on time and without anymore incidents those were cringeworthy to explain to the girl's parents.

Once she was safely inside, he turned and stalked down the streets to his dingy little apartment and got to crafted an antidote that would simply make someone sleep and seem as if they were dead for Itachi like he promised, then sat back to think about ways to take care of Danzo.

In the end though he simply went to the Hokage "I'm well aware of what Danzo is doing Sasori, but without real incriminating evidence I can't do anything" Hiruzen sighed, looking much older and more tired than he remembered when he'd first shown up.

"Let me then Hokage, all eyes on are the Uchiha right now, he won't suspect me in the least and probably even thinks I'm on his side over this matter" Sasori rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, itching to take out Danzo.

Hiruzen eyed him dubiously "Why Sasori, why come here and integrate yourself into the village, become a double agent, why take an interest in making sure Sakura and Naruto-kun are prepared for the long road ahead of them" the Hokage finally questioned.

Sasori grimaced "Because when that little mishap happened I realized I was doing things all wrong, when I got thrust back in time, it changed me, she changed me and the blonde needs all the preparations he can get since Akatsuki's gonna be after him" the redhead scowled.

Glancing away not wanting to admit anything else "Consider this your first mission then Sasori Akasuna, it's S Rank, you only have one week to complete it, a headband to signify your status as an honorary member of the village" Hiruzen sighed a worn out expression on his face.

"Try not to worry so much old man, I know what I'm doing and don't show that face to your subordinates or they'll get worried" Sasori snorted, taking the headband and tying it around his neck after removing his scratched out one from Sand.

With a small bow, he left the office to go spy on Danzo, they'd met enough already he could easily find the man's disgusting chakra, so headed that way and thanked the kami he didn't really have to sleep otherwise he'd never be able to keep up with training his students.

And complete a mission at the same time, the first night got him nothing conclusive and he wished he had Deidara on his side, the stupid kid's camera eye would have come in handy probably, later that day he met with his students.

Everything was going well until he realized he was nearly out of a certain herbs "Sakura, I'm well aware that your busy, but I need you to run to the hospital and get me black cohosh, mandrak, willow bark, lobelia, valerian, hops and skullcap" the redhead demanded suddenly.

Feeling like an ass, when she gave him a grumpy look, her water had just got finished boiling for antidote concoction and now she had to run off on an errand "Okay Sasori-sensei" but Sakura did as told proving she was very obedient and went to turn off the burner.

"Leave it, I'll keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over" Sasori shook his head, it was the least he could do, Sakura's eyes sparkled as she took the list he handed her, then ran for the hills so to speak so she didn't keep him waiting.

When she got to the hospital the lobby was like a madhouse "Excuse me Ma'am, but my sensei has requested that I get these herbs, anyway I can get them now, or I won't have time to finish my training with him" she marched right up to the receptionist and held out the list.

The woman looked at her trepidation in her gaze, before calling out to a medic "Oi Yakushi, take this kid to get this list of herbs from the storeroom, it'll be good practice for you, since your just a trainee right now" the woman instructed.

A gray haired teenager wearing glasses stepped forward and went to take her by the hand "Hey I don't need to be led you know" the pinkette jerked not wanting to really be touched so she folded her arms and hands behind her back all nice and proper.

"Very well, let's just hurry shall we" Kabuto gave a guileless smile and instead directed her forward by the shoulders albeit discretely, a light touch here, a light touch there and they were finally at the storeroom "So why does your sensei want these herbs" he read over the list.

Definitely not of the norm herbs and glanced over at the young girl when she said nothing "No idea, sensei's odd like that Yakushi-san" she mumbled staring at the floor, cheeks red because she didn't know why her sensei couldn't have just waited to do this himself.

She was oddly adorable in her embarrassed and flustered state "Kabuto, can I get your name since you know mine now" the gray haired teenager offered with a request, while pulling out the requested herbs as he found them.

"Kabuto-san then, I'm Sakura Haruno, wow guess the hospital really does have lots of herbs huh" Sakura introduced timidly before looking at all the drawers filled with countless herbs from all over probably, eyes going wide and excited.

Before tamping down on her awe and reigning it in harshly, a silvery gray brow was raised on her at that but he took the herbs and bundled them up properly "Right here we are Sakura-san, I hope your sensei uses them in moderation" Kabuto finished and held out the scroll he sealed them in.

Unable to resist the urge, he reached out and ruffled the little girl's bangs until she jerked back away from his touch "Sorry Kabuto-san, just reserved about being touched is all" the pinkette apologized sheepishly, cheeks red again.

Earning a chuckle, she tilted her head to the side but followed him back to the lobby "Nah don't blame you, lots of terrible people out there nowadays, gotta be especially wary around strangers so I understand" the gray haired teenager shrugged.

Watching her run off and itching to follow her, she was so interesting, maybe Orochimaru would let him have her as a reward someday, then it was back to work, the little girl at the back of his mind for the time being to bring up later.

~Meanwhile~

Sakura had run as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels and after nearly thirty minutes returned to the training grounds that Sasori had been allotted "Here Sasori-sensei, the herbs you wanted" she thrust the scroll at him as carefully as possible.

Eager to get back to her task of crafting an antidote "Good for that since I forgot yesterday, here's your reward for progressing so far under my teachings, you as well Naruto" Sasori nodded in thanks, hoping she didn't ask why he hadn't just gone himself.

And dug around in his pouch for the rewards he'd purchased for the two brats, Naruto immediately stopped in practicing the shadow clone jutsu to face him, emerald and baby blue eyes wide and full of excitement at the prospect of receiving rewards.

Moments later he was handing over two scrolls, specifically made, customized training outfits for both brats, so neither one felt jealous over what the other got different just in case "Wow I can't wait to try it on Sasori-sensei" Naruto oohed and awed over his outfit.

It was two dark orange male yukata, light orange trimmings, with a dark blue sash, reinforced mesh clothes to go underneath, the Uzumaki clan crest emblazoned upon the back of the yukata, one with long removable sleeves and a little thicker, while the other was a little thinner with short sleeves.

While Sakura got the same thing,two dark pink yukata's with light pink trimmings, the sashes were dark green though unlike the earlier yukata he'd gotten her and she got two pairs of dark pink thigh length shorts, along with the reinforced mesh, the Haruno crest on the back of each.

Then it was back to work for the both of them, and after that he was off to continue his mission, for the next two days, he got nothing for his efforts of spying until just as he warned Itachi to not do, Shisui tried to be reckless and Danzo confronted him.

"Fool, haven't you learned anything" Sasori spat at the idiot, capturing Danzo in his chakra strings when the man tried to steal Shisui's eyes, which bore his mangekyou sharingan proudly within the irises, Shisui whipped around shocked because he hadn't even felt the other man's chakra.

His gaze turned accusing and suspicious "And what might I ask are you doing here Akasuna, it's not like what the Uchiha do are any of your business" Shisui put a hand on his hip, edging backwards away from Danzo who couldn't move.

Sasori smirked "S Rank Mission from the Hokage, Danzo's a thorn in your clan's side, and the only Uchiha with manners it seems came to ask me for help" the crimson haired rogue snorted, walking forward confidently, syringe with needle in hand.

Quickly he emptied the contents of the syringe into Danzo's arm and the old man crumpled to the ground immediately after, "Itachi asked you for help, why, when he could have come to me for help" the sixteen year old scowled unhappily.

"That's right Shisui-san, it's the only way and you know it" Itachi dropped down from a tree, dispatching three root operatives at the same time that went to attack the duo as they thought Sasori and Shisui were completely unaware and off their guard.

The rogue turned on him in the next moment "I thought I specifically told you to not let this idiot do anything on his own Uchiha, he could have just fucked up everything if I hadn't been watching" Sasori growled, looking irate.

Itachi paled a little and Sasori reigned his anger in harshly "Forget about it, it's all over and done with, Danzo won't have time to protect the memories of today if I take him in now" the redhead shook his head doing a 360 degree mood swing, from enraged to eerily calm.

Rifled around in his pouch, then threw a little vial at the Uchiha heir, grabbed up Danzo and booked it "Your really going to kill them all Itachi-chan" Shisui looked pained in the aftermath of his departure, staring at his friend like he was a stranger.

"No, Otouto doesn't deserve to be alone like that, Mother, Father, yourself, Izumi, Sasuke and five others will be all that remains, perhaps other children maybe so that Sasuke isn't entirely alone growing up" the Uchiha heir sighed quietly.

Again there was that devastated look on his face "But what happens to you Itachi, who's gonna be there to comfort you after you have to commit this horrible deed" the raven haired sixteen year old that was his best friend glared.

"Just me, myself and I, Shisui there's not point in dissuading me from my mission from Lord Hokage, once the act is done, I'll be going to Akatsuki, I expect you to take care of them in my stead alright" then Itachi turned on his heels and walked away.

Best friend staring after him "Make sure you take care of yourself then Itachi-chan or I'll hunt you down and kick your ass if you don't" Shisui hollered, one last act as the thirteen year old's best friend as they went their separate ways.

In the meantime, Sasori had made it to the Hokage Tower with a sedated Danzo in tow, "Have Inoichi take a good look in his mind, memories from today shouldn't be blocked" Sasori tossed the elder down roughly at the Hokage's feet.

Hiruzen gave a jerk before barking out orders and soon Danzo was tied to a chair with Inoichi dipping into his mind, extracting all kinds of juicy information and tidbits, becoming more horrified by the minute until nothing was left to extract.

Everything was written down and reviewed, by the end of it, Danzo was jailed at committing so many nefarious acts against the village that he wouldn't see daylight for years, he probably would be executed most likely which was a plus.

With that Sasori was all to happy to return home for the night, until the rest of the week past by and an event happened that became known as the Uchiha Massacre, with only seven survivors, eight technically from the murderer himself, who fled upon committing the awful deed.

Among the survivors were the Clan Heads themselves, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, both of whom had been found alive, though unconscious from a sedative, Shisui Uchiha, the murderers best friend, their youngest son Sasuke Uchiha, Izumi Uchiha and another young female child age seven, all of them had been sedated.

During the last week he had with his students before they had to go back to the academy Naruto and Sakura improved in leaps and bounds, Sakura could successfully pull off academy level water and earth jutsu's, with one genin level water jutsu to boot.

Her antidote crafting was coming along nicely as well, for Naruto, he could create at least three passable shadow clones, his chakra control improving slowly yet steadily, "It's back to the regular schedule tomorrow" Sasori reminded.

Glad that he would have a chance to sit back and relax after all the work he'd put in the last couple of weeks for idiots that couldn't find their own asses sometimes "Yay, boring ole academy life" Naruto cheered in fake enthusiasm, and his lips quirked upwards in amusement.

While Sakura rolled her eyes and rapped him gently over the head with her knuckles "The academy isn't that boring knucklehead" Sakura scoffed, having taken after him on that front, dry amusement was oddly adorable coming from her.

He chuckled under his breath careful to not let them hear before ushering them off "Oh before I forget Sasori-sensei, Mom and Dad are heading off on one of their sales trips again, three weeks this time and wanted to know…" the pinkette announced before she got to far.

"Yes, yes tell them I accept Sakura now go so that your not late and make sure you get plenty of rest" the redhead interrupted, Naruto already gone so she sped off to home, unaware that he was following her, even if he didn't have to anymore until she reached her house and disappeared inside.


	7. Chapter 6

During one summer when the kids were nine or almost nine, Sasori began questioning his sanity "You want me to privately instruct your brat, you do realize I already have two students, who will most likely not like the change or the extra tag along" Sasori pointed out.

Not liking the determined expression of the Uchiha Clan Patriarch and Matriarch, Sasuke sitting a couple feet behind them as manners dictated for children during potentially important meetings such as this "Exactly Akasuna" Fugaku nodded gaze narrowed and unrelenting.

"Please we wouldn't ask if it wasn't important Akasuna-san after what Itachi did, we need to make sure Sasuke is up to becoming the next head of the clan when he turns the proper age" Mikoto begged desperately, Sasori closed his eyes tightly, human actions a habit by now.

Frustrated he pinched the bridge of his nose as a precaution so he didn't snap "We're willing to pay you at least 3,000 a week Akasuna" the brunet haired Patriarch offered bribing the man in front of him somewhat with a high pay.

Sasori shifted, money was the last thing he needed right now considering he had enough and then some "A compromise instead, little brat stops hounding Sakura about the contract and stops hurling insults at Naruto" the redhead raised a brow on the silent Sasuke, who's face turned pale.

Clearly he hadn't thought that Sakura had told her sensei about him bothering her like that "Sasuke, didn't we tell you to stop bothering Sakura about that, she's never going to enter a contract with you so best get over it" the Uchiha Matriarch turned sharply.

Taking on an extremely scolding tone with her youngest son "I'm sorry Mother, it's just she's so good at everything and I think we'd be really good together" Sasuke hurriedly gave an apologetic bow in seiza, completely humiliated right now.

"But I understand now my actions were wrong, I promise to stop bothering Sakura and to quit hurling insults at Do….Naruto" the second Uchiha heir then turned behaving as a proper heir of a prestigious clan should and not the immature whiny brat he'd been so far.

Probably because he was the baby of the family and restrictions weren't as rough on him as they'd been on Itachi "Very well, I'll pick you up around 12:50, then we'll head to the training grounds to meet with Sakura and Naruto for training" Sasori informed.

Rising from the pillow he'd been sitting on for the last half hour since he'd been dragged here by Shisui "Akasuna what about the pay" Fugaku frowned, was that really all it took to get the man to agree to instruct his youngest son, a small compromise.

The reminder was waved off as Sasori left, returning to his slightly better accommodations that he'd been given by the Hokage himself for helping to put a stop to Danzo, he was still considered an honorary Leaf Shinobi as well which was complete with the perk of going on missions .

"Just remember Sasuke, we expect you to be on your very best behavior when Akasuna-san is training you alongside Naruto and Sakura, one complaint and you'll be doing dishes for months understand" Mikoto turned sharply to her youngest again.

Making the almost nine year old flinch "Yes mother I understand truly I do" Sasuke bowed again then scrambled off to his room to study, he had no hopes of catching up with Naruto or Sakura right away though but at the very least he could prepare himself somewhat.

And the next day at the stated time, when he'd already finished eating and had cleaned up after himself, Sasori showed up "Let's hope your ready Sasuke, because this is day is going to be the roughest on you since I have to repeat everything" Sasori warned.

Sasuke gulped quietly and held still as a hand was pressed down on his shoulder "See you at dinner Mother, Father" Sasuke waved pitifully afraid that he wouldn't last under this man's teachings in the least and that the training would be to hard.

Then in a poof of smoke they were gone all the way across the village to training grounds he'd never stepped foot on since the Uchiha Clan had their own "Why is the Teme here" Naruto cried in outrage seeing the extra with his sensei of the last 3 and a half years.

"Naruto-kun if Sasori-sensei brought him there's nothing we can do, his parents probably asked so he could get special training to" Sakura rapped her friend over the head gently scolding the blonde as she'd grown use to doing over the last several years, the oldest amongst them.

Earning a hazel eye roll in response "Get started on your individuals, while I work with Sasuke" the crimson haired man barked, Sakura and Naruto scrambled over to their usual spots, one with a poison recipe in hand to get to work.

"Individuals what's that" the raven haired brat asked in confusion, wanting to watch but he was dragged a little ways away to another spot on the training grounds for one on one time it seemed, figures that Naruto and Sakura got all the luck.

His special sensei rolled his eyes again "You'll find out soon enough Sasuke, I'm just going to skip over the questions I usually do, by this point they'd be redundant, I'd like you to demonstrate focusing your chakra into your hands, throwing weapons and taijutsu understand" Sasori ordered.

A tiny bit confused, Sasuke did as asked, his hands lit up blue, his chakra wavered a bit, though he missed this as he was focusing, Sasori didn't though, next was throwing shuriken, the academy hadn't taught them how to throw kunai yet, and his taijutsu was above average.

But not on the level Sakura's was, since she was in the advanced taijutsu class, no matter by the end of summer, Sasuke would probably be in the advanced classes at the academy as well "Did I do alright Akasuna" Sasuke interrupted his deep thoughts.

Off to the side Sakura cringed knowing what was coming "Listen well boy, when we're together I expect to be called by a proper title, like those two understand" the redhead lectured and Sasuke took three large steps back at the suddenly intimidating man.

Until that feeling went away and Sasori cleared his throat "Now you'll practice chakra control, the water sticking exercise, Sakura can show you real quick, then you'll practice on the straw dummy and learn how to throw a kunai" Sasori exhaled reigning in his anger.

Sakura popped up from the ground, shot a glance at her beaker of water, still not to boiling yet then went over to the small lake, filled a bowl of water and placed it down in front of Sasuke "Water Sticking is almost the same as the Leaf Sticking exercise" the pinkette began.

"Except it requires a better understanding of chakra control I know, my murderous older brother told me about it a long time ago" the ebony haired boy grumbled not liking that he had to suddenly take instructions from the girl he liked.

Yet she was so stubborn towards him it was unreal "Precisely, I'll demonstrate first then you can try" Sakura nodded seriously, then stuck her hand in the bowl, focusing chakra, the water coated her hand in less than five seconds and even went past her wrist a little ways.

And Sasori wanted to see how far she could go since she'd been taking the advanced chakra control class, added more water to the bowl as she went until it was past her elbow, up to nearly her shoulder when droplets started dripping.

It was more than he expected which earned her a praising pat on the head while Sasuke looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head "Holy crap Sakura, what you like some kind of wannabe chakra control expert or something" Sasuke gaped in horror.

The water instantly dropped from her entire left arm and her expression went from open to closed off in three seconds flat "I'm not just some wannabe Sasuke, I am going to be a chakra control expert in time after hard work" the rosette stated in a flat tone of voice.

Even Naruto flinched at the sound of it, not that Sasuke realized but her tone wasn't all that flat and more hurt than anything that he'd insulted her high understanding and level of chakra control that she'd been working extremely hard on since she was five under Sasori's teachings.

"Okay Sakura just get back to crafting the antidote to that poison, Naruto keep practicing the shadow clone, Sasuke get started on the water sticking exercise" the scarlet haired man instructed knowing Sakura was upset with the idiot boy.

So he sent her off to complete her antidote crafting "He doesn't understand yet Sakura-chan, give Teme some time alright" Naruto soothed when she wandered near quietly though so he didn't break Sasuke's concentration before working on his own task.

Later on though he was practicing another wind jutsu, Futon: Wind Explosion, this was his one genin level jutsu, that he had to learn in conjunction with an E Rank Wind jutsu, while thanks to Sakura's chakra control, she continued on with another D Rank Water jutsu.

More in tune with her water nature and an E Rank earth jutsu, since she was still somewhat struggling, Sasuke was made to practice a new fire jutsu, even a lightning jutsu since he had dual natures like Sakura, before they had to practice taijutsu for about thirty minutes.

And work on their throwing skills, until it was time to separate and do their own thing like go home, Sasuke trudged over to Sakura "Look I'm sorry if it seemed like I insulted you earlier" the ebony haired eight year old apologized carefully, needing to learn how to watch his mouth.

"Hopefully you aren't just saying that to get in her good graces Teme" the blonde marched forward to protect one of his only few friends, Ino was the other, odd how it was girls that were his best friends somehow.

Ebony orbs widened "No, no, no absolutely not I'm genuinely sorry, about that to, hounding you all the time and stuff" Sasuke waved his hands frantically, this was turning out horribly and he shot a hopeful glance to Sasori.

Who was turned in the opposite direction which meant he was going to get zero help from the adult to smooth things over, his life had been sucking horribly lately, first the massacre, his brother turning traitor was a big blow, his parents being stricter and now this.

Baby blue eyes narrowed "Fine but I demand an apology to or I'll never stop calling you Teme during our lessons" Naruto crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, attempting to make himself more intimidating and perhaps taller.

Off to the side Sasori pressed a fist to his mouth to keep the snort of laughter from escaping "Okay that's enough you two, Sasuke is here to stay despite your reservations" Sasori clapped at the same time Sasuke apologized to Naruto as well.

Which satisfied the picky blonde brat, who then turned on his heel and marched off "See you tomorrow around the same time Sasori-ni" Sakura called brightly, feeling much happier about things now, running off, while Sasori took Sasuke home.

It was a couple weeks later when the kids were settling in to a comfortable routine that he was summoned by Pein "He wants me to review our new members, since I was the one who sent him or so they believe, plus two others" Sasori explained when he dropped into the Hokage's office through the window.

Not wanting to wait forever to have a meeting "Aren't you training those children, what will they do while your gone" Hiruzen frowned deeply, concerned that Sasori might not be able to come back, those kids would be devastated probably.

"Give them homework of course, time-limits to continue their normal training each day in the comfort of their own home, should only be gone a week and a half, and I have to inform Sasuke and Sakura's parents" the redhead snorted, having thought ahead for something like this.

Hiruzen shook his head "Do be careful, can't have a trio of angry children on my hands you see" the Hokage waved the man off, Sasori rolled his eyes but exited the office through the window, the same way he'd come in and stalked down the streets to the Uchiha Compound first.

"Akasuna what are you doing here" Shisui greeted when he opened the door to find who was knocking, but Sasori just gestured into the house, so he moved aside and let the man in, he took off his sandals and headed deeper into the house to the living room.

Where the others were gathered "I'm going on a week and a half mission, here's what I want you to go over and do until I get back" Sasori placed down a scroll filled with the lessons he would have been doing this week for the Uchiha brat.

Then turned on his heel and headed off again, Sasuke sulked well that just sucked, here he is only two weeks in to receiving special training and the guy has to run off and complete a mission "No point in complaining Sasuke" Mikoto shrugged not as sympathetic as she use to be.

Even though she wondered why she and a few others were still alive, Itachi was a good actor, Shisui thought in his mind because if he hadn't know, he would probably be just as baffled and confused as everyone else, except for Fugaku probably.

Next was Naruto "Eh your going on a mission that's not fair Sasori-sensei" Naruto pouted not happy in the least right now, everything seemed to be going wrong for him lately, first the Teme intrudes on their private time, now this, sensei going away for a mission.

"Just a week and a half brat….Naruto, I know your having difficulties, believe in me to come back to help you with that to get better, stronger so you can protect yourself and your friends" the crimson haired rogue ruffled the blondes wild hair gently.

Maybe just a little to much attached to the kid, he knew what it was like to be alone and not have his parents around after all "Now this is what I want you to go over and do by the time I get back understand" Sasori held out the scroll filled with the lesson plan for that week.

And Naruto carefully took it "Roger that Sasori-sensei, I promise that I'll get everything down and then some" the blonde saluted trying to be brave probably as he vanished in a plume of smoke to reach his last students home in due time.

"Oh Sasori-ni what are you doing here so early, lessons are planned for later remember" Sakura greeted with a bright smile opening the door wide so Sasori could come into the house while her parents were busy packing, maybe he'd come because they asked him to babysit her again.

Turned out to not be the case and after Kizashi and Mebuki asked Sasori grimaced "My apologies as much as I love babysitting Sakura for you, I have a week and a half mission" the scarlet haired man held up his hand, hating to have to do this, and he wasn't entirely sure his statement was purely sarcastic.

They blinked at him then shrugged "You can go ask Ino-chan's parents Sakura later though, do you have anything for her to do while your gone, any meet-ups and the like" Mebuki questioned not wanting to be unprepared, Sasori had been the best sensei to her daughter after all.

"What's in this scroll would have been the lesson plans for her this week, though I don't want you working on your antidote crafting until I get back, it's to dangerous unless you have supervision unless you find someone to help you with that" Sasori warned handing over the scroll.

Sakura nodded her head eagerly and took the scroll, looks like it was chakra control, elemental jutsu's, taijutsu and throwing with a senbon, that made her excited and she could hardly wait until she could learn about genjutsu and not in theory.

With that Sasori was gone on his way to the first Akatsuki meeting he'd been to in over four years "Right I think you should go ask Ino-chan's parents now Sakura" Kizashi said when everything was packed and ready for them to go off as well.

It was such a pity that Sasori wasn't there to look after their little girl, Sakura popped up from the floor, shoved her feet into her sandals, then ran off down the streets, weaving through crowds with ease, halfway there she was joined "So you got told to right" Naruto sulked.

Clutching a scroll in his hands, probably off to the Hokage Stone Face Mountain for training "Yep and I'm also going to be stuck at Ino-chan's for the next few weeks while my parents are gone for their sales trip" the pinkette shrugged not to bummed out.

Naruto let his shoulders slump even more depressed "Do you think it will ever get better Sakura-chan" the blonde asked feeling the heated glares of hatred directed him, his senses were better now than they'd ever been before.

His first friend pat his hand gently "Of course it will Naruto-kun, you just have to believe like Sasori-sensei does oops here's my stop, maybe the three of us, you, Ino-chan and I can meet up tomorrow" Sakura skidded to a halt before the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Baby blue eyes lit up "Absolutely Sakura-chan that would be the best, then you can help me understand what it is Sasori-sensei wants me to do while he's gone" Naruto nodded his head eagerly feeling much better now about the whole situation.

And he watched Sakura vanish into the flower shop before hurrying off to conduct his training alone for the day well that's what he thought until Shisui showed up with Sasuke in tow on the Hokage Mountain so they trained together in silence, it was better than nothing.

He even told Sasuke about the meet-up with Ino and Sakura the next day, but the boy point blank refused to go anywhere near Ino, then hours later he trudged home worn out and tired from the day of training he'd done on his own.

Oh so happy to show up on their usual training grounds the next day where his best friends were waiting "There you are knucklehead, do you like to keep girls waiting or something, you'll never get a girlfriend that way" Ino clearly annoyed about him being late.

Yet when he checked the time, he was right on time "She's in a mood because Sasuke's Mother came into the shop yesterday around 4 to get some seeds for her garden and point blank asked her if she'd be willing to put her and Sasuke in a contract, Mikoto-sama said no" Sakura explained.

"Come on Ino, when are you going to get over Sasuke, he doesn't want you that way, it's better to just face reality now than be heartbroken later on when he publicly rejects you and humiliates you because you won't leave him alone" Naruto scolded harshly.

Probably the smartest thing to come out of his mouth and a scolding worthy of Sasori if the man ever learned of this, Ino blinked at Naruto in shock before tears trickled down her cheeks "What about you Sakura, do you agree with what knucklehead is saying" the slightly older blonde asked.

Rounding on her best friend "Unfortunately Ino-chan, yes I do, it could have been said a little more delicately but that's the gist of it, and I don't want to hurt you, but Sasuke's parents are holding out hope that I'll say yes eventually" the pinkette grimaced.

Ino's eyes went wide at the admission "Yeah that's right, Sasuke's older cousin practically kidnapped her last year and one of the reasons she said no was because she didn't want to lose her friendship with you Ino" the blonde Uzumaki remembered.

For a long time Ino cried, letting go of her crush and the hope he'd return her affections someday, hopefully "Now what did your sensei leave you to do while he was off on his unknown mission" Ino sniffled eventually and dried her eyes not wanting to keep crying like an idiot.

She was better than that "I've got chakra control the water sticking exercise, some futon jutsu's to practice, my taijutsu, throwing a kunai, plus fuinjutsu whatever that is, he said it was something he looked tirelessly for and something Uzumaki's are supposed to be good at" Naruto rattled off.

"Chakra control for me to, my goal is to be able to cover at least both of my arms with water, a D Rank Suiton jutsu, finally a D Rank Doton jutsu, throwing with senbon, my taijutsu on a wooden dummy but the last I can't do without supervision" Sakura listed pouting just a little bit.

Because antidote crafting was her favorite part and Sasori had said that with a little more practice she wouldn't even need the recipes to the poison "Fuinjutsu is the technical term for sealing jutsu Naruto, like my advanced class, when I drew that seal remember, that's fuinjutsu" the rosette said.

Remembering what Naruto had said "Oh wow really that's cool Sakura-chan you know" the blonde exclaimed exuberantly, then plopped down and got to work on his chakra control, alongside Sakura and Ino surprisingly.

"If you think I'm being left behind think again" the Yamanaka Heiress huffed, promising to work super hard from then on to catch up with the two on either side of her, which would be pretty hard at this point but she was willing to put in the effort now.

They buckled down for some intense training "Oi what do you brats think your doing over there" only to be interrupted, twenty minutes in making them pause and look up to see a very scary man storming towards them, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Yikes uh-oh that's Morino Ibiki, my Dad works with him, come on Sakura, Naruto let's get out of here and fast" Ino leaped to her feet, grabbed her friends by the hands and the three of them skedaddled as fast as they could go from the training grounds.

Unfortunately for her, she underestimated how fast Naruto could run without tripping, so he was the first to biff it and Sakura refused to leave Naruto behind so all three of them got caught by Ibiki anyway to her absolute frustration and they were drug to T&I HQ.

"So…what were you doing and why did you brats run" Ibiki clasped his hands together in front of him when the brats were crowded in front of his desk, each sat on chairs, a couple feet away from each other so none of them could pull any stupid stunts like earlier.

Like Ino thought Naruto pointed at her "She's the one who told us to run Mister, and we were training of course" Naruto was bluntly honest with the scary man and Ino wondered how the kid could remain so calm in the face of the Head Interrogator like he was.

Even Sakura had a calm aura about her "Before you ask, our sensei left us instructions to train while he was gone on a week and a half mission, here you can see for yourself Morino-sama" Sakura held out the permission slip they always had to have on hand.

Naruto doing the same, poor Ino she didn't have one, but Ibiki took the ones held out to him to scan curiously "As for you Yamanaka, do you often run from authority figures, perhaps I should tell your Father" the Anbu Commander raised a brow.

And Ino shuddered "No, I just wanted to be able to train without someone jumping down my throat" the blonde heiress huffed in a petulant tone, sulking and slumping further in her chair like a little brat would do when they were in trouble.

The man behind the desk let out a long suffering sigh "Little girl when the blonde brat tripped why did you stop" Ibiki barked suddenly as he glanced towards the other two brats in his office wanting to know because he was curious.

Sakura looked up at him eyes bright "Naruto-kun and I are friends, and friends don't leave other friends behind or abandon them to face danger on their own" the rosette smiled innocently, inner senses flaring in warning that this man was extremely dangerous.

Ibiki threw his head back with a laugh, the kid was gutsy that's for sure "For that brat you've earned a spot at T&I when you get older and become a genin, now get and let's hope next time you won't be little fools and try to run" the Head of T&I snapped.

Making the kids scramble from his office "That was scary you know" the little blonde shuddered on his way out and his lips quirked in amusement before he focused on his paperwork for T&I, while the kids returned to the training grounds and concentrated on their training.

Until it was time to go back home for the night or in Sakura's case return to Yamanaka Flower Shop with Ino, her Father scolded her big time, having received a message from Ibiki, and the rest of the night was peaceful and calm.

Before they knew it, Sasori was back from his mission "How did it go" Hiruzen inquired hoping for some information on the Akatsuki and how Itachi was doing preferably or how many members there were now since it had been awhile.

"Terrible the newbie is an idiot kid only sixteen, Deidara of Hidden Stone, Uchiha is fine, getting along with Hoshigaki Kisame actually, he plans on converting the man over to our side hopefully, Orochimaru is out though, then there's Hidan, immortal" Sasori explained.

Dropping into a chair as he spoke "Orochimaru left the organization, how is that possible, I thought because of the rings, they could always know his whereabouts" the Hokage choked on some smoke as he took a puff from his pipe.

Sasori crossed his arms and closed his eyes, he really needed to be admitted for insanity "Cut off his own hand after a tousle with Uchiha trying to get his Sharingan, kept the ring though, but no matter how many times they've searched the results are a dead end" the redhead scoffed.

Irritated, now he would have to track the bastard down, eventually, for now he had to focus on his own task which was training those brats "Go on I'm sure their itching to see you" Hiruzen sighed, Naruto had been in his office a lot this past week after all so he knew for sure the blonde.

Sakura however was a lot different and Sasuke kept to himself, learning how to be a proper heir of the Uchiha clan essentially, Sasori nodded then was off to find his brat students, all of whom were waiting for him on the training grounds since it was that time.

"Oh thank kami Sasori-sensei welcome back, it's been crazy without you" Naruto burst out in a dramatic tone, the moment he arrived, which had him raising a brow on the boy in confusion because he had no idea what the hell had gone on while he'd been gone.

Next to him Sakura scuffed the blonde over the head "What he means Sasori-sensei is that the Head of T&I has reserved a spot for me at T&I, Ino's seen the light so to speak, those two learned what happens when they combine natures of two different elements and that" Sakura pointed.

Sasori turned sharply and spied Shisui hiding in the tree, "That's mean Sakura-chan, calling me a that" Shisui sulked landing on his feet all good and proper, having taken to supervising the kids training sessions after Ibiki had warned him about the recent incidents.

This earned a snort from said girl "Well it's not like we asked you or need you to babysit us Shisui" Sasuke huffed, sure they would have been just fine without the seventeen year old watching them constantly for the last five days.

"Right….how exactly did you get a spot reserved for you at T&I Sakura, I also hope you two learned your lesson" Sasori folded his arms over his chest simply amused by the turn of events, though he was a little concerned for the two boys, even if they seemed alright.

Both Naruto and Sasuke nodded their heads eagerly "Course we have Sasori-sensei, never again I tell you not until we're older anyway and can control the amount of chakra we use in our jutsu's" the blonde shrunk back at the intense stare.

Not realizing Sasori was merely trying to keep from laughing "It was Ino-chan's fault, we were training the second day you were gone here and Morino-sama from T&I saw us and she had us run so we all got drug into his office I guess I amused him or something" the rosette explained.

"Hey don't act like your some perfect angel Sakura, Neji Hyuga from the advanced taijutsu class challenged her to a pure taijutsu spar, and she kicked his ass, another Hyuga oversaw and told the Clan Head now that guy wants her to marry Neji" the ebony haired boy burst out.

Unable to keep it in as he felt she was going to completely forgo telling their sensei about the incident and definitely not happy because he wanted her to be with him and no one else "For the love of kami please tell me nothing else happened" the redhead groaned.

Wishing he'd stayed away actually otherwise his sanity wouldn't be slowly slipping away from him further and further the longer he stayed here training these brats "Nope, after that last one I started keeping an eye on them for Ibiki's sake" the older Uchiha piped in.

And he relaxed, relieved about the only good news so far, though he knew that last one wasn't really Sakura's fault and more his for having her work on her chakra control and taijutsu the most "Let's review what I had you practice while I was gone shall we" Sasori cleared his throat.

Attempting to reign in the children so they could get the training session underway, they'd definitely improved even bratty Uchiha, Sakura could now completely cover both of her arms, all the way up to the shoulder, Sasuke could manage up to his wrist and Naruto his entire hand.

Just for chakra control, that helped Naruto manage to create a regular clone from the clone jutsu, and five shadow clones, improve the chakra output he used for jutsu's and it kept the nine-tails chakra in check a little better even.

Sasuke was a little more focused and his taijutsu had improved, still not quite to advanced yet and Sakura her improvement had went above what he wanted, which was very good as she was his primary student, even if he was training the other two.

When he had them demonstrate their throwing, he was very pleased with their progress "Sasuke, rewards for you since you've done well the last three and a half weeks" the redhead announced when there was still two hours left of their time.

The kid looked shocked but unsealed the contents of the scroll he'd been handed to reveal a anelace dagger, blade tempered dark blue, hilt black, with black sheath, his clan crest emblazoned on the sheath, then came the outfits that were similar to what Sakura and Naruto wore.

Only his were dark blue, with light blue trimmings, black sash, one with long removable sleeves, the other with short sleeves, each with his clan crest and reinforced mesh clothes to put on underneath "Thank you Akasuna-sensei" the ebony haired boy bowed politely in thanks.

"Looks like we're all even on the rewards now Sasuke" the blonde brat butt in with a smirk, proudly showing of his cinquedea, while Sakura unsheathed her ear dagger from her inner thigh, she was wearing a pair of dark pink shorts he noticed, he glanced and saw shorts for Naruto.

And himself as well in dark blue, while Naruto's was dark orange and he carried his dagger in his storage pouch "Anything else you want us to do Sasori-sensei" the rosette glanced forward sheathing her dagger, eager to learn more like usual.

"Yes actually, Naruto practice your fuinjutsu, Sakura, antidote crafting, this time no recipe, Sasuke, you get extra taijutsu practice, by the end of summer I want you in the advanced taijutsu class understand" Sasori stated simply sending the kids scrambling.

Until they were utterly worn out, mind, body and soul "See you tomorrow Sasori-sensei" Naruto yawned tiredly, wrists hurting like hell from drawing up seal after seal, and he had to wonder if his parents were alive, would they have been teaching him fuinjutsu as well.

Sasori snorted but nodded "Don't worry I'll keep practicing my taijutsu even at home, on Shisui-san" Sasuke waved lightly wanting to get better, trudging after Shisui, who'd probably no longer show up to keep an eye on them now that Sasori was back.

"Can you walk with me to Yamanaka Flower Shop Sasori-ni" Sakura asked hopefully wanting to spend a little one on one time with the man, since it had been so long since it was just the two of them, Sasori rolled his eyes but fell in step with her anyway.

Which eventually turned into him finishing out the last two and a half weeks her parents were gone as Sakura's babysitter and by the end of summer, Sasuke was now in the advanced taijutsu class alongside Sakura as he wanted and he definitely felt proud of that fact.


	8. Chapter 7

Just a few days before Sakura was to turn ten, and after a particularly long run of babysitting the girl, things went further downhill than they'd ever gone before "See you after academy let's out Sasori-ni" Sakura waved heading out the door for the academy that morning.

Before everything went to hell in a handbasket on him "Hold up, let me put that mop you call hair up" Sasori hissed seeing the curtain of pink hair she insisted on keeping, consistently getting in her way, it was a Wednesday which meant advanced class.

Sakura puffed up her cheeks at him, having gotten a little moody lately as she grew older, such was the life of a growing girl it seemed, but she did hold absolutely still for him "Going now" the rosette vanished in a rush down the streets.

Causing him to roll his eyes and gather his belongings, heading back to his own apartment "Brats" the redhead scoffed under his breath, oddly fond of them, though he would never admit it, he'd rather be dunked in acid or another form of torture.

Eight minutes later Sakura skidded to a halt in front of the academy "Pink haired freak" Ami hissed as she passed but her schoolyard bully was the last thing on her mind as she practically flew down the halls to her homeroom classroom.

"Man Sakura-chan, that's the fastest I've ever seen you get here" Naruto whistled when she flopped down gracelessly in her seat between him and Shikamaru, Sasuke still across the room because the Nara heir refused to give up his seat even when bribed.

The girl grinned widely "Yeah like some kind of record" Shikamaru snorted from her opposite side, this earned him a roll of jade eyes, Sasori was wearing off on Sakura just a little to much lately, she was picking up on his mannerisms.

"Anyway so why were you in a hurry Sakura-chan wait please tell me I didn't zone out again and missed Iruka-sensei announcing something important like a test or anything" the blonde frowned before groaning at the thought of it.

Fortunately for him she shook her head but Shikamaru did perk up a little "Then why were you in such a rush" the Nara heir questioned, his two row mates for the last several years had been extremely secretive to the point of scooting so close together one couldn't even fit a piece of paper between them.

"No particular reason Shikamaru, Naruto-kun, just wanted to see if I could beat my last arrival time, it's fun to challenge myself like that sometimes" Sakura huffed, speaking in a softer tone to the Uzumaki on her left than the Nara on her right and Shikamaru definitely noticed.

He kind of gave her a little wary look in response that she took no notice of instead turned more firmly to Naruto "It's good to challenge yourself sometimes I guess, maybe I should start doing that" Naruto mused aloud trying to think of something he could do.

Sasuke stalked into the classroom just then, Ami and her two cronies on his heels, looking extremely irritated at their ridiculous and annoying antics, "We meeting in the library like usual" though Sasuke did make an effort to stop and ask his question.

Both nodded and he turned heading for his usual seat in between two male classmates Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame "Feel for ya man, those girls just don't know when to take a hint" Kiba scoffed disgusted at ninety percent of their female classmates.

Minus Sakura and Ino now, Hinata as well so it was probably seventy percent of their female classmates nowadays "If they know what's good for them, they'll stop or I'll publicly reject them in the most humiliating way I can think of" the Uchiha scowled.

Especially when obnoxious and annoying giggles reached his ears "At least your not afraid of getting in trouble with your Ma, if I did that, my ass would be grass probably" the Inuzuka Heir shuddered, Tsume Inuzuka wasn't one to trifle with even if he was her child and only son.

"Good morning Sakura, Naruto" Ino greeted as she stepped foot in the classroom, not even glancing in her old crushes direction "Sasuke" the blonde heiress tilted a nod his way but didn't look, Sasuke was slightly impressed and tilted a nod her way as well, that was all she got.

Though she didn't really take notice as she slid into her seat next to Hinata, Choji on the other end only turning to spy her friends in the row above when they returned her morning tidings, then they all faced forward as their sensei arrived to start class.

Hours later "Guess we'll see you in about forty-five minutes Sakura-chan" Naruto waved knowing that this was one of the only two days out of the week that Sakura would be late since she had one of her advanced classes it sucked but she loved it.

Beside him Sasuke grunted "Let's just go Dope seriously or else we'll get that lecture again" Sasuke warned pushing Naruto ahead of him as Sakura cracked a small smile before turning on her heel and heading off to participate in her advanced class.

She was still only the youngest member in class "Haruno take a seat, we have a very special day ahead of us" Touma growled the moment she stepped foot in his classroom, no matter what he did to make the girl cry, she remained unaffected, today would be the day though.

"Is it challenging Touma-sensei" Sakura perked up in interest as she flopped down in her seat gracelessly, Sasori said he'd be working with her on that soon, she hoped it was real soon or she was going to be the most graceless kunoichi known to man.

Touma rolled his eyes of course the brat would see it that way "Probably the most challenging thing you'll ever face in your life Haruno" the blue haired man smirked, impatiently waiting for his other students to arrive so he could begin class.

Four seventh year students and three sixth year students, he'd probably only have one by the time the kid was ready to graduate, emerald orbs brightened with excitement but Sakura settled back in her usual seat to wait patiently and even work on other homework in the meantime.

Until all eight of them were gathered "Okay you lot outside now, got permission to teach you brats the tree-climbing technique, it's a technique all shinobi know how to use, and one of the most important" Touma barked, inwardly smirking he couldn't wait to see that brat fail and give up.

Just like that he shepherded them to the small training grounds the academy had and made them line up in front of a tree, each with a kunai in hand to mark their progress "What you want is to focus chakra into the soles of your feet and get a running start at the tree" the blue haired man said.

Instructing the brats without giving them the full instructions just because he was a mean ass and wanted to see them fail a few times, the youngest especially, who tilted her head up at the tree curiously assessing it basically.

Before making a hand sign to focus her chakra, almost immediately her feet gained a bright blue glow, gripped her kunai a little more firmly and took off, to his frustration she went straight up while four of her classmates fell on their asses, one used to much and the last two managed.

His brow twitched, just when he finally thought he'd found something the kid wouldn't be able to do without struggle, she went and showed him wrong, but he had them practice for the next forty-five minutes "Haruno in front of me now" he barked keeping her back.

Sakura paused then swung around to face him "Yes Touma-sensei…was I..was I doing it wrong" the rosette frowned looking unsure of herself now, confidence was a big issue for her it seemed and as much as he wanted to tell her that yes she was doing it wrong, he couldn't.

Because that would be lying "No brat, you did just fine, what I want to know is who the hell is teaching you, can't be Iruka, he's a baby compared to the rest of us" Touma snapped, tired of not knowing otherwise this brat really would be his only student.

Perhaps he should relax his normally strict standards "Uh I'm receiving private instruction after hours everyday, Sasori Akasuna is my sensei, has been since I was five" Sakura admitted carefully, he'd warned her about giving out his name so freely like she had been before.

Dark eyes widened a sliver in surprise that would explain it, everyone knew that Sasori Akasuna had turned double agent for them for some reason they hadn't been given and he must have taken an interest in this kid and decided to teach her, here he thought she was purposefully showing him up.

Thankfully that wasn't the case "Come on brat seemed like you were in a hurry a minute ago, I'll take you wherever" the blue haired man rolled his eyes, no wonder she was always rushing whenever he dismissed her from class.

A moment later and in a plume of smoke they were to the library "Sakura sit down, we were reviewing theory of genjutsu, I plan on teaching you three some this Saturday" Sasori barked when she marched through the doors of the library, him eavesdropping since classes were over.

Jade eyes sparkled with excitement as she plopped down in a chair, pulling out her theory of genjutsu books, seemed Sasori was a more unforgiving sensei than he was, no wonder the kid didn't cry no matter what he tried.

For the next forty-five minutes he stood there eavesdropping as the trio of academy students poured over theory of genjutsu books and scrolls, until Sasori called it "Tomorrow will be the same so prepare yourselves Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto" the redhead informed.

Watching as they packed their books away then split up in different directions "So is it normal for academy sensei to eavesdrop" Sasori raised a brow his way and he wondered how long the other man had known he was there.

"Is it normal to push children into the advanced chakra control class" Touma hissed back, stepping forward, peeved that he couldn't make the girl cry, not only that but all she got was an excited twinkle in her eye at anything that might be challenging.

Sasori stood "Perhaps not but I had nothing to do with that, she wanted to take the class herself with no provocation from myself, begged her parents if I recall" the crimson haired rogue scoffed not wanting to be accused of nonsense like that.

"Then why teach her advanced crap like tree-climbing" the blue haired sensei growled irritated that she'd been one of the only ones to truly grasp the concept of tree-climbing, it was like she was born to piss him off.

Again this earned him a raised eyebrow "I have not taught Sakura the tree-climbing technique, whatever she did was on her own skill, the most we've gone is the water-sticking exercise" Sasori snorted lightly in amusement.

And the other man spluttered in surprise "Just the water-sticking all these years, fuck that kid might just become better than Tsunade Senju at this rate" Touma cursed under his breath, Sasori smirked and watched the baffled academy sensei storm off.

During this time Sakura had reached home "Mom, Dad I'm home" the pinkette called going up the steps to throw open the door, only wincing when she twisted her hand a little and the door refused to open, indicating it was still locked, which was weird.

Now this was where things started going seriously wrong "Dad, Mom you in there open up I don't have my key" Sakura hollered loudly hoping they weren't asleep, but after several minutes and no answer she started knocking on the door.

Until someone, one of her neighbors stuck their head out a window "QUIT THAT RACKET GIRL" the woman screamed annoyed that she'd been disturbed during one of the few times she actually got some blasted peace around her home.

Sakura turned red in embarrassment "Sorry, it's just my parents won't answer and I don't have a key" she called back feeling like a terrible person, the woman's face morphed in confusion, probably going through the day so far.

Before shrugging "Was out until just a little while ago with the kids, never saw them come home" then the window was shut as the woman withdrew inside, while Sakura's heart dropped in her stomach at what her neighbor had just said.

Hadn't come home, they always do, they promised they always would to "Maybe their just a little late this time" the fuscia haired almost ten year old murmured to herself as she paced back and forth, but as the time ticked down that hope started dying out.

With all the hope she had left she ran off down the darkening streets "Oh my Sakura-chan what are you doing here" Mikoto was honestly surprised that the girl showed up uninvited perhaps Sakura had finally decided to stop resisting and accept the contract.

"M..My parents never came home from their last trip and I don't know where Sasori-sensei lives" Sakura breathed heavily nearly falling flat on her face from her run across the village until Sasuke stood next to her and she leaned into his side hesitantly.

It wasn't exactly progress towards an eventual relationship to Mikoto's dying hope, more like offering support to a distraught friend "Your parents never came home" Fugaku creased his brows in confusion, Mebuki and Kizashi were never late in returning so what was the hold up.

And she shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes, he'd never seen the girl upset like this before so it was definitely a shock "Want me to summon Akasuna here so we can figure thing out" Shisui piped in also concerned for the young girl.

Fugaku nodded "Sasuke walk her back so she can grab some clothes" the Uchiha Patriarch ordered of his youngest son and now heir, Sasuke grimaced but subtly went to direct Sakura out the door of his house to return to her house.

But Sakura shook her head stubbornly "Come on Sakura, chances are your probably going to end up spending the night somewhere" Sasuke grunted hating how stubborn she could be sometimes, it was like she was born specifically to teach him how not to be selfish.

"Don't have my key, left it inside because I thought they'd be home to open the door for me" Sakura explained, which was a bigger problem, so Shisui body flickered anyway, arriving at Sasori's apartment, only to find the man absent.

A quick scan with his senses informed him that Sasori was with the Hokage, with a long suffering sigh he body flickered again "Hate to interrupt your meeting Lord Hokage, Akasuna, but we have a situation" the almost eighteen year old announced sliding through the window.

Sasori turned sharply "We already know, their cart was found overturned by a Leaf Shinobi out on a mission, no bodies were recovered and snake slime was left behind at the scene, I have my suspicions though as to who it was" the scarlet haired rogue scowled furiously.

"We're beginning a formal investigation to hopefully find Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno alive, for now keep her at the Uchiha Compound, it's best that way and don't tell her" Hiruzen winced, one child was already an orphan and he hoped another wasn't about to become one.

Not wanting to lie but knowing it was best Shisui shook his head "Need the key to get into her house so she can get some stuff" he held out his hand instead and Sasori's key to the Haruno House was dropped in his hand.

Then he was back at the nearly empty Uchiha Compound "Here we go, Hokage-sama is sending out someone to find them, they just got lost most likely" Shisui chuckled hating how the lie settled in his stomach like a sack of rocks as he held out the key.

But there was a spark in those emerald orbs that told him she knew he was lying but Sakura said nothing, merely took the key silently and trudged off with Sasuke in tow "The truth Shisui" Mikoto ordered in the next moment once the kids were gone.

"A Leaf Shinobi returning from a mission found their cart overturned and the two missing, they could still be alive but it's not likely, Akasuna thinks Orochimaru might have been involved" the seventeen year old explained feeling exhausted already.

When Sasuke and Sakura returned, Mikoto was cooking a late dinner for them, "How was advanced class today since we didn't have a chance to ask earlier" Sasuke questioned attempting to help keep Sakura's mind off her missing parents.

She looked at him blankly for a moment before shaking her head "Oh uh Touma-sensei got permission to teach us the tree-climbing exercise, got it on the first try" Sakura hummed quietly, way more subdued than he'd ever seen her before.

Even his father looked surprised at that "The first try, very impressive Sakura-san, are you sure you don't want to marry my son, we'll make it worth your while" Fugaku offered not above bribing people to do what he wanted sometimes.

"I'm sure Uchiha-sama, I want to choose" the rosette reminded lightly not really up to having any sort of serious conversation right now, the vibrant and rebellious girl they knew was missing and if Sakura's parents weren't found she'd probably be lost.

At least she was polite in her rejection, Sasuke still slumped his shoulders though, they worked on homework after that and ate dinner before going to bed, the next few days were tense and Sasori was just about to rip his hair out when the news came in.

"Declared officially missing, no sign of their whereabouts can be found, Orochimaru is the most likely culprit, we'll keep the investigation going but it's unlikely they'll be found" the Hokage informed when Sasori dropped in for the fifth meeting in three days over this matter.

Sasori shut his eyes, this was his fault he knew it, Orochimaru had probably found out and was trying to make the girl hate him "I'm going to tell her the truth, she needs to know" Sasori stated, lies had ruined his life, he wouldn't do the same thing his grandmother had done to him.

It was wrong and he had this chance to fix things hopefully "What no don't be a fool Sasori, this will break her" Hiruzen coughed upon hearing that determination, he didn't want to loose a potentially good future genin after all.

Hazel eyes flashed with repressed fury "Lies ruined my life, if my grandmother had just told me that my parents weren't ever coming home, I might not have turned out this way, I won't lie to a child the same way she did to me, Sakura deserves the truth" the redhead spat unable to help it.

The old man flinched "If you truly think that's for the best" the Third Hokage sighed, knowing that Sasori was right, Sakura deserved to know and not have the truth hidden from her that her parents were most likely dead and never coming back.

It was unbelievably cruel that Orochimaru had targeted Sakura's parents just because Sasori associated with her, Sasori was gone in the next moment off to the training grounds where his three students awaited him for training.

"Before we begin, Sakura we need to talk" Sasori gestured to an area away from Naruto and Sasuke, each step she took towards him was reluctant no doubt she understood what was coming and he wouldn't blame her if she finally burst into tears.

"Gi..Give it to me str..straight Sasori-sensei dead ar..aren't they" Sakura forced herself to ask, unshed tears glistening in her eyes already and voice thick with sadness, it was so hard to tell the truth in that moment and he wondered was this how Chiyo had felt.

Maybe but there was no time to dwell on the past now "Probably, but there's a small hope that they live still, don't give up on them no matter what you do, but I have no intentions of lying to you Sakura" the redhead announced carefully.

Knowing what was coming next and just this once only drew Sakura into a hug letting her cry on him "Who did it Sasori-sensei or do you not know" the rosette sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, there was lots of other questions she wanted to ask but couldn't get them out.

His gaze softened, was it right of him still to train this brat solely for the reason to kill him, no it wasn't, but he couldn't stand to live any longer "Orochimaru one of the Sannin, now go stand in line Sakura so we can start today's lessons" Sasori cleared his throat.

She sniffled one more time then drew away, face streaked with tears, eyes red and puffy then marched towards Naruto and Sasuke to stand in-between them so they could learn and what an afternoon it was as he had them learning things they hadn't been taught yet.

"What's gonna happen to her Akasuna-sensei" Sasuke asked when Sakura trudged off probably wanting to cry some more and be alone, it's how he'd felt initially after the massacre until he'd been told his parents were still alive, alongside three others and his brother the culprit.

Sasori followed his first student with his eyes for a moment "She'll be declared a ward of the village like Naruto, be given her own apartment and receive a stipend until she's of age" the crimson haired man stated simply.

There was no way in hell Hiruzen would agree to allow him be her guardian full time especially when in just a couple years time he'd have to go back and leave her anyway, Sakura was going to hate him more at this rate and he gave a mirthless chuckle at the thought.

Sasuke grimaced at the news, was that what would have happened to him, probably and he felt for the girl he liked "Uh I don't think she knows that Sasori-sensei, better go find her or she'll disappear on us" Naruto burst out suddenly.

Sakura was unpredictable right now, hazel eyes flashed with understanding before the man was off searching for the girl, he found her soon after too, at the gates staring out into the wide unknown since she'd never been outside the village before.

Gate guards watching her warily which was good because he would have been having serious words with them if they'd let her outside the village in her state "I just don't understand why people do such horrible things like that" Sakura whispered to him.

Feeling his presence without even looking at him "Hate is a horrible cyc le, people need to see that violence isn't the answer, someone needs to be strong enough to do that though" Sasori answered, it was something he was sure someone else would say hopefully.

Jade eyes peered up at him, glistening with tears that every few seconds rolled down pale already tear streaked cheeks "Can I be strong enough Sasori-ni or is your conviction that I'm gonna be strong a lie to" the rosette questioned, confused about everything now.

His jaw locked in anger, how dare Orochimaru lay a hand on what was considered precious to Sakura, he was going to murder the bastard when he found him "No Sakura, you will be strong, that wasn't a lie, I have never lied to you" the redhead scoffed.

Not exactly telling the truth, he'd omitted things sure but when it came down to it, he always told the truth when it counted, her lips quivered and more tears spilled from her eyes and he hated how attached he'd gotten to her suddenly, if he hadn't things would be normal for her.

"Sasuke's my friend but I don't want to stay with him and his parents forever, Hokage-sama wouldn't allow me to stay with you probably but do you think I can get my own place near Naruto" Sakura looked up at him hopefully, the first emotion he'd seen in days.

Requesting something unexpected but entirely possible most likely "Let's go brat, then I'll give you the rewards that you've earned" Sasori took a couple steps back giving her room to pop up from the ground still graceless, he really needed to help her work on that.

But they headed for the Hokage Tower and under nine minutes got a meeting with the Hokage "You know I presume, which makes this easier, Fugaku and Mikoto have offered to take you in is that what you want Sakura-chan" Hiruzen explained.

"Absolutely not, I won't be dependent on them for things and there's probably some underlining reason they want to take me in anyway, I want an apartment near Naruto-kun" the pinkette announced firm in her decision and refusal.

Obviously Hiruzen hadn't expected that "Very well, but why do you feel as if they have a reason for wanting to take you in Sakura-chan" the Third inquired, confused the Clan Leaders were kind people they wouldn't have ulterior motives like Sakura thought they would.

"It would give them authority over me to make decisions against my will, like place me in a betrothal contract with Sasuke, and I don't want that to happen, their nice and all but I want to be free to choose my own special person" Sakura admitted softly.

Well when put that way he couldn't argue so he merely pulled out the paperwork to declare Sakura a ward of the village and hopefully find her an apartment near Naruto like she requested, a couple hours later everything was filled out and an apartment had been found just as wanted.

Then came the process of moving personal belongings and such, even sealing things away for storage until a week and a half later Sakura was moved in directly across the hall from Naruto in his apartment complex "This is weird" the blonde commented the first morning after.

When it was time to get to the academy "Just a little I suppose" the fuscia haired ten year old murmured quietly, wearing her new yukata, one of the rewards she'd received from Sasori, a hair ornament that could be used in conjunction with genjutsu was another.

And the rest was in her dingy little apartment, a metal dark pink tempered bow with ninja wire, it was complicated and Sasori hadn't been able to teach her yet, with metal pink tempered arrows and a wooden quiver that was dyed dark green, the Haruno crest on it proudly.

He'd also gotten her a summons scroll but again Sasori hadn't been able to teach her yet and that was it for her rewards, Naruto and Sasuke had some coming their way as well, but not until they turned ten, which was oddly kind of Sasori, they were almost like birthday presents.

But Sasori made sure to firmly remind them that they were rewards and with that they were off the rest of the way to the academy, going through the day as normal as possible, with people shooting her pitying looks until they got to vanish to the library and learn under Sasori, then return home to eat and go to bed.


	9. Chapter 8

It was the summer after she turned ten and her parents had went missing that things changed for her "Sasori-ni what are you doing here so early" Sakura asked when she answered the door to her small apartment, while reviewing some scrolls so she could psyche herself up for later that day.

"Well I thought we could have some one on one time like how we use to" Sasori offered wanting to see a spark of excitement in her eyes and there was so many things he had yet to teach her, though he hadn't been able to because he had other students to focus on at the same time.

As expected, emerald orbs lit up, the only way to tell she wasn't completely lost despite losing her parents "You know Sasori-ni I think I'd love that" the pinkette bounced lightly eager to have that one on one training with Sasori again.

"Good to know brat, first though since this was kind of a split second decision, I need you to run to the library and get this list of books, then to the hospital for these herbs" the redhead cleared his throat underprepared for once and she couldn't help but crack a small smile.

She took the two lists and vanished out the door without grabbing any of her weapons and the like, he snorted at that so did the honors, going so far as to grab the bow and arrows, the hair ornament and summons scroll he'd gifted her, before body flickering to their training grounds.

"Fancy meeting you here Sakura-san" Kabuto greeted when she skidded to a halt before the library, they'd met every so often when her sensei had ordered her to acquire a list of herbs from the hospital for him, though she never spoke the man's name which was frustrating.

Jade eyes flashed towards him "Kabuto-san, sorry in a hurry, sensei wants me to get some books and then herbs as well from the hospital" Sakura explained carefully, hurrying in to the library him on her heels because he wanted to spend a little time with her.

"Maybe I could help you find all the books, some of them look complicated" the gray haired teenager offered pushing his glasses up his face into their proper place, opportunities such as this only came every so often and he'd already established to Orochimaru she was going to be his.

Sakura glanced at him again "If you could please Kabuto-san I don't want to keep sensei waiting any longer than I have to" the rosette held out the list, looking adorable, he couldn't resist as he was reaching to grasp the slip of paper, he ruffled her bangs gently as well.

A couple seconds was all he got before she jumped back away from him "Yes, yes I know you don't like being touched" Kabuto sighed one of these days he was going to have to follow her and find out where she lived, maybe even find out who her sensei was.

But he turned and went around collecting the seven books the man had requested "Thank you very much Kabuto-san" Sakura bowed lightly once the books had been checked out and she'd stowed them away in a storage scroll that she had on hand.

Then she was off to the hospital requesting the same list of herbs that it was every time before heading to the training grounds they'd been allotted "Perfect, now we have up until lunch just the two of us" Sasori nodded grateful of the kid who was willing to run errands for him.

Peridot orbs brightened "Right so what are you going to teach me first Sasori-sensei" the pinkette asked excitedly, feeling like that itty bitty five year old she once had been until that bubble popped and Sasori led her over to some posts.

Ninja wire strung up "Balance training, you've improved yes, but your still without the grace kunoichi possess, for the next week I want you to solely concentrate on improving your body's balance, an hour a day only understand" the crimson haired man announced.

"Certainly an interesting training method Sasori-sensei, why not just have me dance" Sakura teased a twinkle of amusement glittering in her vivid green orbs, this made the man snort and roll his eyes, with a small tilt of his lips to indicate he'd found what she'd said funny.

She didn't complain though and heaved herself atop the posts and hesitantly stepped out onto the wire like some kind of performer only she wobbled and fell flat on her rear seconds after "I'm sure you understand now correct Sakura" Sasori raised a brow at her sprawled out form.

And the ten year old girl nodded, climbing up on the posts again sporting a determined glare in her eyes, half an hour later someone stormed onto the training grounds "Akasuna what the hell do you think your doing, you have other students to train as well remember" Shisui hissed.

Drawing Sakura's attention, which caused her to lose her balance and she fell on her face for the million time just when she'd been doing good to "Yes I'm well aware Uchiha, however that time is reserved for later remember" the redhead said in a flat tone.

That had Shisui reeling back "Okay so why train her so early then" the almost eighteen year old put a hand on his hip not impressed in the least, Sasuke would be jealous if he learned that Sakura had gotten extra training and he hadn't.

"Because first and foremost Sakura is the student I chose, second with Orochimaru that bastard after her for some reason, she needs all the extra training she can get, and third, to keep her from being cooped up ninety percent of the summer" Sasori hissed tired of being questioned already.

Onyx eyes widened slightly "Guess I can't argue with that, so what exactly are you having her do anyway" Shisui grimaced, before he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, Sakura was balancing precariously on a string of ninja wire.

"For balance training, her body's balance isn't right so I'm helping her correct that" the redhead explained not batting an eye when she fell again, Sakura was determined however as she merely heaved herself back up and retried over and over again.

Until another thirty minutes had gone by "Thank kami that's over" the pinkette winced as she stood before Sasori again ready for whatever else he was going to teach her and feeling bruised all over from her multiple falls from the ninja wire.

That he took down to be put up again tomorrow probably "Not bad and your balance did improve a little bit, just a little, next will be learning how to use your hair ornament in conjunction with genjutsu" Sasori nodded pleased with the progress so far.

By the time Sakura was a genin, she'd be the best rookie genin the Leaf Village had ever seen, he'd make sure of it "Okay I understand that you can do that, but how exactly" Sakura frowned in confusion knowing it was a silly question because Sasori would show her anyway.

"You know sealing jutsu, well there's a seal inside the bell that allows you to seal jutsu's inside of it, particularly illusion jutsu's, in a pinch you can remove the ornament from your hair and throw it, unsealing the genjutsu at the moment of impact, ensnaring your target" the redhead explained.

Sakura's eyes were wide with awe and surprise because she obviously hadn't thought of that "Want me to be your target practice Sakura-chan and I'll willing let you put me in a genjutsu" the Uchiha offered knowing she wanted to try no doubt.

She turned sharply in his direction "Really, really Shisui-san" the rosette pouted adorably, hope shining in her emerald orbs, he couldn't really say no to that kind of face, plus he had already offered so nodded in answer.

Then Sasori was teaching her how to seal jutsu's inside seals "Just run around Uchiha, she needs to practice her aim on a moving target anyway" Sasori shrugged lightly, otherwise Sakura would never improve where she need to improve.

"Just let me know if I'm moving to fast alright Sakura-chan and I'll slow down until you get better at throwing weapons at a moving target" Shisui commented already running and Sakura was holding her hair ornament precariously between her forefinger and middle finger.

Watching him with intense green eyes, assessing the speed at which he was going and calculating distance, wind resistance, strength needed to throw and place he would end up all at the same time, when all of this was done she smiled and loosed the hair ornament.

Shisui cursed under his breath as it sunk half an inch into his arm followed by the heaven viewing jutsu "Did it work Shisui-san" Sakura asked when he broke out of the genjutsu and plucked her hair ornament from his arm, this kid was going to be quite the skilled genin it seemed.

Though there was still room for a lot of improvement, she'd hit him on the first try and that was scary "Yeah the genjutsu worked Sakura-chan, want to practice some more" the Uchiha offered and Sakura nodded her head eagerly.

For the next thirty minutes, every two other times she managed a hit someplace else on his body "Alright that's enough, we're moving on to practicing with your new weapon" the crimson haired rogue clapped ending the throwing practice.

Holding out the bow with quiver full of arrows, intriguing Shisui, who stuck around a little longer "Right Sasori-sensei, so how exactly do I draw back the string which is ninja wire" the pinkette asked looking confused since she hadn't been able to figure it out.

Of course he had realized that so gestured to the wire "Channel chakra into it, then notch your arrow and pull back, it's called wire manipulation, as you grow use to doing it you won't even have to think about channeling chakra into the wire, it'll be second nature" Sasori instructed.

Demonstrating even so she would better understand and be able to visualize herself doing it "I promise to do my best Sasori-sensei so that someday I can put an arrow straight through Orochimaru's heart for doing what he did to my parents" Sakura vowed suddenly.

Next to Sasori, Shisui blanched "Now, now Sakura-chan, let's leave taking out Orochimaru, who's a sannin might I add to professionals, alright" Shisui grimaced not wanting Sakura to go running around saying that to everyone under the sun and moon.

Unfortunately for him, Sakura's eyes continued to burn with determination for her new found goal in life as she turned to start practicing with her new weapon, channeling chakra into the wire just like told and notching her arrow when she had.

Taking aim at a target, calculating everything she needed before loosing the arrow, which sailed clear over the target, Sasori simply blinked Shisui however snorted and got a death glare for daring to laugh at her first failed attempt.

Promptly Shisui stopped laughing "Could have warned me she still had that death glare Akasuna" the Uchiha scowled, that glare rose goosebumps on his flesh, it was a wonder Naruto or Sasuke weren't utterly terrified of the girl.

Before he remembered that neither Sasuke or Naruto incited Sakura's wrath like he did sometimes, she could hold a grudge that was for sure "So much funner not to Uchiha" the scarlet haired man scoffed, mocking the teenager at his side as they watched over Sakura training.

No doubt her fingers and arms were sore by the end of it "May I take a small break Sasori-sensei" the fuscia haired teen year old requested, two and a half hours without a break was not fun in the least, thankfully Sasori was in a pretty giving mood as he merely waved her off.

With no further ado she plopped down on a rock, even going so far as to meditate, which was still considered training in Sasori's mind, it helped her increase her chakra pool and reserves after all, even replenishing the little bit she'd used for the genjutsu practice of earlier.

Only for thirty minutes sure, then she was back on her feet, to finally learn how to use the summons she'd been given "To sign an animal summons contract you must first sign your name and fingerprint your prints in blood" Sasori commented, unrolling the scroll.

He didn't know what kind of summons would come out but hopefully it would be useful "Is that wise Akasuna, what if she can't do it and owww that hurt" Shisui started in only to curse under his breath and hold his arm that now had a senbon needle in it.

"Don't insult me Shisui-san, I won't tolerate someone putting me down or saying I can't do something" Sakura scowled, hating that more than anything, just because she was civilian born and had to work harder didn't mean she couldn't do something just as well if not better than a clan born kid could.

Hazel eyes shifted away "Right, sorry" the almost eighteen year old cringed knowing that Sakura was right and he shouldn't have even said that even in concern, he knew she was good, on par with Sasuke and he felt like an idiot.

"Anyway go ahead and sign Sakura, then these hand signs followed by Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" the redhead cleared his throat drawing her attention onto him once more so they could move on to actually summoning whatever creature this summons scroll belonged to.

The shop he'd bought if from hadn't even known so it was all by chance right now whether the creature would be useful or not "Okay, Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" the rosette did as told then flashed through the hand signs necessary.

In the next second she coughed as a plume of smoke filled the air and she inhaled some, followed by probably the cutest thing she'd ever seen "Hello if you didn't know I'm a bat, well I'm a bat, the names Aimai" and it talked.

"Oh uh I'm Sakura, Haruno Sakura to be exact wo..would you like to be my summons I promise to take good care of you" Sakura introduced herself to Aimai as she'd introduced herself, wanting to touch the creatures fluffy ears for some reason but refraining for the moment.

Aimai tilted her head this way and that before nodding "Course Aimai would love to be your summons Lady Sakura, but first you must come with me to the caves for training" Aimai announced and before Sasori could move both girl and bat were gone.

"Well that can't be good" Shisui gaped, horrified and near panicking because Sakura had just been kidnapped by her own summons, then he chanced a glance at Sasori, who was staring at the spot Sakura had last been, looking the most shocked he'd ever seen the man.

Followed by frustration as Sasori snatched up the scroll and weapons that had been left behind "Come on let's go inform the Hokage of what has happened, kami I'm an idiot" Sasori rubbed his face feeling like a fool, and even worse after Hiruzen got through yelling at him.

~Meanwhile~

"Um Aimai-san why did you take me along with you" the pinkette asked nervously as she was enveloped in all consuming darkness, she couldn't even see that's how dark it was, even after she had been there for a few minutes, nothing could be made out.

There was a flap of wings, then something settled on her shoulder "Aimai told you Lady Sakura you must come for training if you want to be Aimai's summoner training is to be had" Aimai informed then took to the air again and nudged the young girl forward.

Letting herself be pushed forward by a small creature Sakura stumbled over everything "Okay but for how long and what kind of training is it going to be exactly" Sakura rubbed her arms feeling chilly all of a sudden and wishing she'd worn her long sleeved yukata with removable sleeves.

Aimai tilted her head that as they came to a sudden stop "Just until you learn how to see without seeing, could take months, years even for most, but Aimai thinks Lady Sakura is special and will manage in just two weeks time" the little bat proclaimed confidently.

Just when it felt like she was going to be sick at the news and possibility she'd be stuck there for years "Well I'll do my best, but is there anyway you can go back and let Sasori-sensei, he was the one with red hair, know I'm okay and going through with your training" Sakura requested.

In a serious tone of voice "Very well if that's what Lady Sakura wants then Aimai can't refuse" Aimai tilted her head to the side then was gone in a plume of smoke leaving her behind in a dark cave, with lots of other bats if she wasn't wrong.

Nineteen minutes later Aimai was back, carrying a scroll in her mouth "Sensei-san said this was to help keep you warm during training, Aimai was hasty she apologizes" once she dropped the scroll in Sakura's hand, quickly apologized to her young summoner.

"It's okay Aimai-chan, I'm not mad and I'm sure Sasori-sensei isn't either" the rosette assured doing as she wanted earlier and hugging the furry creature, rubbing Aimai's fuzzy ears and squealing inwardly at the feel of them.

Even finding herself thinking that this training might not be so bad "Right let's start shall we" Aimai perked right up, nudging Sakura in the direction of earlier, who kept stumbling over everything for a while until they came to another stop.

"Okay what's first Aimai-chan" Sakura inquired curiously, heaving herself onto a rock to sit and listen to her bat summons, who seemed no older than herself, but ages for animals were strange and the bat could be much older than she seemed.

Pleased that she wasn't getting anymore resistance "First Lady Sakura you must spread out your senses, feel all around you, not just Aimai's cave mates but the chakra in everything, roots and rocks, plant-life and keep your eyes closed in the meantime" the furry brown bat instructed.

"Got it don't worry Aimai-chan" the pinkette nodded seriously, closing her eyes as told and spreading out her underdeveloped senses, she could only feel a few feet away from her, but chakra from other bats prickled at the edge of her senses.

Feeling anything else right then was impossible but she kept on, sharpening her senses further until she sensed chakra below her just before her concentration snapped and she lost that feeling "Ooh drat, but that was a good first try Aimai thinks" Aimai informed proudly.

Happy at the praise Sakura tried again until she grew tired "I have no idea what time it is, but my stomach is saying it's hungry Aimai-chan" Sakura admitted sheepishly hearing her stomach growl loudly in the near silence of the cave.

Laughter was her first answer until she was given confirmation to take a break and eat, it was hard though picking through what had been sealed in the scroll to find food until her hand hit a bag of apples, some beef jerky, trail mix even until she dug in, half starved from all the work she'd done.

What was even better after that, Aimai let her do her own sort of training, which consisted of stringing up some ninja wire to practice balancing while splitting her concentration at the same time which was unbelievably difficult, until Aimai called it.

"Time for bed for you Lady Sakura, Aimai has to go out and hunt" the little bat informed politely, ushering her young summoner over to a little niche in the cave wall that Sakura could fit in comfortably, then took off with the rest of her cave mates.

Sakura yawned tiredly, but ate a hasty dinner of the can of beans she'd found, making a messy burrito with the soft tortilla wrap that had been sent to her by Sasori, then after placing down several blankets, a sleeping bag that she wrapped herself up in and placing a pillow down went to bed.

Aimai woke her the following morning "I'm up, I'm up I swear" the pinkette sat up nearly cracking her head on the cave wall in the process, which wouldn't have been good, the little bat would have probably had to send her back if that had happened.

"Unfortunately Aimai got a scolding for staying up all day yesterday, so Lady Sakura must conduct her own training and when Aimai wakes up she'll check on Lady Sakura's progress" the little bat explained in a sheepish sounding tone.

Indicating that she was young as thought to be "That's okay Aimai-chan, you just go get some sleep, I promise I will train diligently throughout the day" Sakura vowed seriously not wanting to be given up on or declared hopeless or incapable anymore.

Clearly this made the little bat as happy as pie "Good luck Lady Sakura may your training be fruitful" Amai cheered then all that could be heard was the flapping of wings as Aimai flew away to join the rest of her cave mates in slumber throughout the day.

More determined than ever Sakura redoubled her efforts on balance training and broadening her senses at the same time, it was difficult and bruising as she fell every so often but she refused to give up no matter what happened or how hard things seemed.

Very little breaks were had only to regain energy or eat, maybe even go if she had to, that was difficult but she managed until the whole day had gone by on her "I think I've improved Aimai-chan" the rosette announced proudly when she heard familiar flapping of wings.

Differentiating between the others "Oh absolutely Lady Sakura, you even could tell it was me, even with everyone else taking off to hunt for the night" the little bat chirped in a praising tone, tugging on a lock of hair affectionately.

Excitement coursing through her veins now the ten year old bounced up and down "What next Aimai-chan are you going to have me practice dodging you while I'm up on the wire to" Sakura asked hardly able to reign herself in at that moment.

Obviously though Aimai hadn't thought of that "Sure if that's what Lady Sakura wants, I can gather some others together to have you dodge, only by sound, which means you can't have your senses spread, it's another great way to see without seeing" Amai quipped.

Flying off to do just that and Sakura really wanted to slap herself because in the next moment after precariously balancing on the wire, a bat rushed towards her, there was hardly any flapping, only the air shifting, then she was flat on her face "That hurt" the pinkette mumbled dully.

Sitting up and rubbing her nose, thanking the kami it wasn't broken hopefully "You'll get it just believe in yourself" the little bat that was mostly training her, or rather instructing and then abandoning her to train by herself somewhat piped in seriously.

Her lips curved up into a small and determination filled her so up she went on the wire again, going higher than before to really challenge herself, this training lasted for an hour and a half and during the last fall, Amai told her to go to bed since she had to go hunt with the others.

With a long suffering sigh, Sakura ate a late meal of fruit and jerky then curled up in her little niche snuggled down in her sleeping bag and feeling utterly exhausted, a little alone to since Aimai was busy hunting while she was supposed to be sleeping.

The next several days proved to be long and hard, lonesome even until one evening "Come hunt with us Lady Sakura" Aimai exclaimed in excitement knowing this was the best way to test her summoner on the progress she'd made so far.

Immediately the young girl perked up "I'd love to Aimai-chan" Sakura grinned widely, grabbing some weapons, her bow and quiver with arrows as well before following after Aimai in the pitch black, by sound alone and out of the cave for the first time in days.

Of course she could have guessed that it would be dark but not this dark for kami sake and she didn't really feel like she'd made any progress at all until her ears picked up on the sound of a bush rustling off in the distance and the chakra of an unknown animal.

"Smell that Lady Sakura, it's food for you and us, guess I forgot to tell you but I'm a hairy legged vampire bat" the little bat settled on her shoulder, facing the same direction she'd heard the rustling, emerald orbs went wide because she hadn't known that.

But it was nice to finally learn what species her summons was "Can't exactly smell it Aimai-chan, but my hearing has increased to the point I can hear it, want me to help take it down" the rosette inquired, whispering in a hushed tone to her creature companion.

Aimai nodded seriously "Anticipate where its going to move and let your arrow fly" Aimai instructed gently sounding far older again, confusing Sakura on the bats age but she notched her arrow anyway and sensed the chakra in the animal she was hunting.

Doing exactly as told and anticipating where it'll be and taking into consideration everything else then loosed her arrow "Got it Aimai-chan, though it occurs to me since I'm not allowed how am I going to eat it, I'll get sick if I eat it raw" Sakura tilted her head to the side.

"You can cook it out here Lady Sakura, once everyone has had their fill of it's blood, you can have the rest" the little bat chirped taking flight from her shoulder, leaving Sakura to rush after her to find the injured creature, which turned out to be a boar.

Covered in bats which was a little freaky as she made a small fire that wouldn't bother them, weaving sticks together even, then when Aimai settled on her shoulder again and the other bats took flight she went forward stripping the boar of it's skin and meat.

"Never thought I'd use the survival lessons Sasori-sensei taught me until I was older and a genin, but here I am and definitely glad for them" the fuscia haired girl whistled softly as she worked, talking to herself and her companion somewhat.

Placing strips of meat on the rack of sticks she'd made, while spearing the rest on sharp sticks, seasoning them the best she could with what herbs she'd found as she'd been making a fire "Do you want me to send word to Sensei-san that your alright" Aimai asked.

Sakura jolted "Really could you Aimai-chan, ask for a change of clothes even please" Sakura tweaked the little bats ear fondly just before Aimai vanished in a plume of smoke, leaving her to finish up cooking though a couple parts of the meat got burnt and it still tasted bland.

But it was better than nothing she supposed, fifteen minutes later Aimai was back "Sensei-san sent other things for you Lady Sakura, notes from your friends, some seasonings and clothes" the bat declared happily liking that she could run errands for her summoner.

"Thank you very much Aimai-chan" the rosette hugged the flying creature again, retrieving her loosed arrow from earlier as a second thought before plopping down to eat and read the notes Naruto and Sasuke had sent her, each one expressed their feelings on her absence.

And she even scribbled some notes to appease them that she was fine, once she was done eating Sakura stood and hid behind a tree just in case to change out of her dirty clothing, sealed everything back up in a scroll and followed Aimai back to the cave.

Where her training continued, getting harder and harder as the days went by until finally "Aimai is pleased to announce your training is done Lady Sakura just as Aimai thought you are very special and managed to learn how to see without seeing in just two weeks" Aimai declared.

After the very last practice session in which she was balanced precariously on wire which was strung very high up in the cave, the level where most of the other bats slept hung upside, the distraction of learning this news hardly broke her concentration at all.

"Phew here I thought I would have to stay here another week" Sakura hummed, turning on her heel carefully and walking back across the wire since she was stood in the middle of it, then focusing chakra into her feet to walk back down to solid cave flooring.

Aimai shook her little head "Nope, nope Lady Sakura you get to go home now, Aimai is pleased to have such a special summoner as yourself" the little bat flew back and forth in excitement, then in a plume of smoke they were in the Hidden Leaf Village once more.

Upon returning Sakura was snapped off her feet "Kami you little brat, give me a heart attack why don't you" Sasori hissed squeezing her just a bit to tight, it was around the time they were meant to train as a whole, all three of them with Sasori teaching them.

"My apologies Sasori-sensei, I really wanted to be Aimai's summoner and the training wasn't all that bad, it was kind of fun even" the pinkette smiled sheepishly, looking tired, covered in dirt, blood from an animal probably as well, but overall well.

His shoulders lost the tension that had been building up over the last several days "Right…next time I would like a little warning though" the redhead deadpanned and Aimai ducked behind Sakura with a high pitched squeak.

"I'm sorry Sensei-san, Aimai was just really excited to have a potential summoner for the first time ever, she just got ahead of herself and acted hasty" Aimai apologized swiftly, hazel eyes softened slightly, this guy really seemed to care for her summoner apparently.

Then the softness went away as two others arrived on the training grounds and she disappeared in a plume of smoke back to the caves so she could hunt and wait to be summoned "Sakura-chan your back, your back" Naruto was the first one to her.

As Sasori set her on her feet "Yep I'm back, the training was hard but I did it, I'm officially a bat summoner" Sakura pumped her arm and did a victorious pose, tongue sticking out ridiculously, Sasori rolled his eyes and scoffed while giving an inward chuckle at her antics.

"Lucky, when will it be our turn Akasuna-sensei to go through summons training" Sasuke sulked somewhat jealous, because Sakura was the only girl among them it seemed she got special treatment which was a little unfair.

It seemed his instructor picked up on that jealously "Eventually Sasuke, when I find summons that will suit you, whether you'll have to go through the kind of training Sakura did I don't know but for now lets just work on your individuals" Sasori ordered and they scrambled to do as he bid.

Much later on after a particularly harsh taijutsu spar, Sasori dismissed his three students to head home, take showers or baths, eat and then go to bed, he followed Sakura and Naruto since they went in the same direction and made sure they reached their apartments before doing the same himself, working on a puppet through the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter 9

The next couple of years went by fast with Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke learning a myriad of things under Sasori, individually or all together as he did one on one sessions to appease the jealous boys, though neither would admit it.

Among these things learned for Sakura, was medical ninjutsu, Sasori figured he'd get her started early, even filling out a form once she passed the graduation exam and became a genin that was only three days from then to take to the hospital to request additional medical ninjutsu training.

Dancing was another skill he'd helped her hone tirelessly with Mikoto's help surprisingly earning Sakura another weapon to use during a fight, a metal fan that was both ornamental and dangerous since she could seal jutsu's and even weapons into it, this she tucked into her yukata sash.

While the ear dagger was kept strapped to her inner left thigh, poison and antidote crafting, though Sasori had already known Sakura would be good at it, there was even times when they practiced solely during the dead of night to train with her summons which were vicious little creatures.

Hairy legged vampire bats all of whom seemed to adore her, not just Aimai when Sakura managed to summon others and they weren't afraid to attack something on Sakura's command, tear skin off with their teeth as well it was horrifying to watch.

Sasori also learned that Sakura's genjutsu's were very potent when Shisui accidentally insulted her once and he got trapped in the illusion as well, Hell Viewing to be precise and it brought out every horrible nightmare he'd ever had in his entire life.

Chakra control and taijutsu now those were two skills that he knew would be way above average so he wasn't surprised about it, Naruto however learned the shadow clone and clone jutsu in full, honing his own chakra control tirelessly over the years.

Fuinjutsu, he could slightly improve seals now since he'd got a late start on learning, and Naruto could make his own chakra ink, with Sakura supervising just in case, his taijutsu had also improved and the meditation kept him calm and slightly less exuberant.

Mature even sometimes when the situation really called for it, he could use elemental jutsu's in abundance without tiring as quickly as Sakura or Sasuke, both of whom didn't have a tailed beast sealed inside of them like Naruto did.

And his shuriken jutsu had gotten better, Sasuke who'd had less time had done his best to hone his taijutsu and elemental natures, going so far as to request training with a sword and learn how to summon hawks, to his disappointment though he hadn't been swept away to train for two weeks.

Before they knew it those three days before graduation exams had passed and the day to become genin was upon them "I swear I won't let you down Sasori-ni" Sakura drew him from his thoughts, vowing to do her absolute best during the exams whatever they might entail.

His gaze softened "Of course you won't Sakura, I trained you after all" Sasori scoffed, dreading this day more and more, he'd already received the summons to return after all and he was sure this would break Sakura even more after she'd pulled out of her depression of loosing her parents.

Though he was still investigating he'd found nothing yet "See you later then Sasori-ni" the pinkette snuck in a quick side hug then sprinted away from the whack out her apartment door, giggling all the while as she hurried down the streets to the academy.

Sasori rubbed his face and then sat at Sakura's desk that she'd bought with her weekly stipend pulling out a letter scroll as he did and a pen before writing a long drawn out letter, detailing the first and last lie he would ever tell Sakura hopefully.

When he was done he tied it with a dark pink ribbon, left another scroll at it's side and body flickered to his apartment of the last seven years, then headed for the Hokage Tower "Your really leaving then, you know this is going to hurt her" Hiruzen commented.

"I have no choice old man, Pein sent the summons to return already and if I refuse then he'll know everything I've told him was a lie, Uchiha could be in danger if I don't" the redhead scowled furiously, knowing that it was the truth.

Sakura was going to be unbelievably hurt "How are you telling her Sasori" the Third questioned, seeing the pack hung from Sasori's shoulder, then it hit him as Sasori curled his lips into a disgusted sneer, probably at himself.

"Detailed letter, wrote it after she left, now if you'll excuse me" Sasori stated, having a few loose ends to tie up still, such as his apartment, dropping off the key once he was sure it was empty, paying any lasting bills, then it was off to the gates to sign out and head for Hidden Rain.

~Meanwhile~

His little student had reached the academy "Thought you weren't going to come Sakura-chan" Naruto sulked a little as his best friend slid into her seat next to him, she flashed him a confused look before he cracked a small smile.

"Knucklehead of course I'd come, have to show everyone up after all" Sakura grinned widely, she knew it was going to be a long day however so settled back with a book on puppetry, that Sasori had lent to her a few days ago, he said he was going to teach her so she wanted to learn.

Naruto rolled his eyes lightly at her antics "Sakura, Naruto" Sasuke greeted as he snagged the seat on the end of their row, which wasn't occupied by Shikamaru that morning fortunately, it was a rare chance that he got to sit with them so he was going to take it.

Shikamaru gave him an irritated look when the Nara Heir did enter the classroom though but that was the least of his worries "You think Sasori-sensei will actually be our jonin sensei" the blonde Uzumaki on the other end of the row whispered suddenly, curious.

It was a definite possibly "Perhaps but we won't know until whenever they decide to tell us Naruto" the pinkette scuffed the blonde over the head lightly then cracked open her book again hardly able to sit still, she was fidgeting every few seconds.

And unable to concentrate on her book "Sheesh Sakura you'll put Naruto to shame if you keep that up" the ebony haired twelve year old sitting in the row with them snorted, ducking where Naruto forgot as a hand shot out to whack him as well.

Only to miss as he leaned away at just the right time "Quiet can't concentrate" Sakura huffed under her breath, forcing herself to stop fidgeting, which allowed her to finally focus on her puppetry book, reading about all the interesting ways to use a puppet.

"Your hand is as swift as ever, however I think Sasuke's learning how to dodge to efficiently" Naruto sniggered, only to pout as he tried to do the same and failed because Sakura struck with a finger in his side when he leaned his head away.

Still really ticklish as she dug her finger into his side gently and wiggled it "It probably won't last long, she'll figure out how to get quicker when I'm not looking" Sasuke scowled, praising her in his own way, he still really wanted her to be with him after all.

Twenty minutes and a few whacks later Iruka finally showed up and they all straightened in their seats "As you know today is a very important day, graduation, where each of you have the chance to become genin, when I call your name come up and we'll get your testing done" Iruka explained.

Rattling off their classmates names in an agonizingly slow way "Sakura Haruno" the brunet announced finally, Naruto stood to let her out of their row since she was sandwiched between him and Sasuke, then Sakura walked confidently down the aisle.

Ami though tried to trip her but having heard the movement without even looking merely leaped over the obstruction in her path, Sakura also didn't have to look to see the frustration on Ami's face since it was pouring off her in waves.

Then she followed Iruka into a room "Okay so what do you want me to do Iruka-sensei" the rosette asked politely eager to show off her skills a little, and she really didn't want to let Sasori down because she'd promised she wouldn't.

Her academy sensei chuckled under his breath "Let's see you're shuriken-jutsu first Sakura-chan, then we'll do clone jutsu,, a bit of taijutsu on the dummy over there, escaping from a genjutsu, and lastly chakra control, you'll demonstrate one thing such as making chakra ink" Iruka said.

Eyes wide and full of excitement Sakura did just that as she turned and faced the target that was in the room, grasped three throwing needles and lightly tossed them without exerting any kind of force, all three struck not quite dead center but it was close enough.

With just a little more training she'd be a perfect shot, next was the clone jutsu "Ninja Art: Clone Jutsu" Sakura called after running through the hand signs, she made five clones, that were illusions of herself no effort required thank you very much.

Such was the ability of chakra control, she could do more without wasting chakra "Very good, now taijutsu, let's see what you've learned from the advanced class" the brunet nodded, not as surprised as he thought he'd be with her current level of abilities.

As she turned and nearly destroyed the taijutsu dummy "Err sorry, Sasori-sensei was helping me learn how to be a heavy hitter hehehe" the pinkette laughed sheepishly when she was done, maybe she'd gone a little overboard, oops oh well.

Iruka shook his head with another chuckle before standing, now it was time for the genjutsu, he gave her no warning and a couple minutes after he cast it, she broke free with a firm flare of her chakra, in tune with genjutsu now that was a surprise.

"Well done so far Sakura-chan, there's just one more thing, chakra control, this is to see if you've really grasped the concept that has been drilled into you by Touma, who I swear hated you sometimes" Iruka rolled his eyes lightly.

Though apparently Sakura wasn't as naive as he thought "Oh you don't have to worry Iruka-sensei I know Touma-sensei didn't like me, he tried to make me cry all the time but he couldn't cause I did everything well" Sakura snickered.

But pulled out some regular ink, needing to replenish her chakra ink supply anyway and carefully added chakra to it "Good, congratulations Sakura-chan you're a genin, here's your headband" the brunet haired Chunin announced passing her an official headband.

Emerald orbs lit up with glee and Sakura couldn't help it as she flung herself at Iruka hugging him "I promise Iruka-sensei I won't let anything happen to those two dorks if we get put on a team" the fuscia haired preteen declared in a strong voice.

Releasing him just as quick, tying her headband around her neck in the process of heading out of the room, Iruka blinked after her then shook his head again, that girl was going to be quite the force to be reckoned with in a couple years he was sure of it.

An hour and a half later Sasuke and Naruto had their headbands as well "Can't believe it we're genin now you know" Naruto whispered in awe, touching his headband in a reverent way, not wanting to put it on just yet because he felt like he was dreaming.

"Dope seriously quite saying that already would ya it's starting to aggravate me tch" Sasuke grunted already sporting his headband on his forehead like Sakura had hers around her neck, Naruto slumped his shoulders and Sakura jabbed her fingers into Sasuke's side.

Hissing as she did so "Enough Sasuke leave Naruto-kun be, if you knew what kind of hell he's been through just so he could pass this day you would understand why he's acting like that" Sakura growled removing her finger, Sasuke flinched in response but nodded quietly.

Leaving Naruto alone though the boy said nothing else as the rest of their classmates took their turn and finally they were all released "Make sure you come back tomorrow to find out who will be on your team" Iruka reminded as his former students now stood and prepared to leave.

"First one to Sakura-chan's to show Sasori-sensei has to make celebratory dinner for becoming genin" the blonde Uzumaki declared suddenly taking off at a sprint, leaving Sasuke and Sakura in the dust so to speak until his two friends quickly caught up.

Sasuke scowling "Not cool giving yourself a head start" the Uchiha grunted racing even with Naruto before managing to pull ahead for a couple of minutes then Naruto was at his side again, when he looked around for Sakura he nearly choked on his spit.

Because there she was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, several feet ahead of both of them "So long boys" the rosette saluted vanishing from sight of course she could do that because she was going to be the next chakra control expert of the century, so totally unfair.

When the both of them arrived at the apartment complex, Sakura was waiting for them in front of her door "Whatever, let's just get this over with so I can go home" Sasuke huffed and rolled his eyes, he and Naruto had tied so he had no idea who'd be making celebratory dinner now.

The lone girl between them snickered under her breath then threw open her apartment door "Sasori-sensei, we're back and we passed the graduation ex…." Sakura trailed off seeing her empty apartment, the person they were looking for missing from within.

"Is that a letter scroll over there on your desk Sakura-chan" Naruto spied the scroll sitting in the desk Sakura had been more than willing to spend half a stipend on because her other one had gotten demolished accidentally, Sakura lunged and snapped up the scroll unrolling it, they all crowed around to read.

~Brats, i.e Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura

Let's see where to begin ah yes, congratulations on becoming genin one of my few regrets is not being able to greet you, as you've realized by now or probably not I am no longer in the Leaf Village, as I was assigned a long term mission that I won't be back from most likely.

Another regret is not telling you this news in person but there was no time and you were busy preparing for your exam or training under my instruction, if I had any choice I wouldn't have undertaken the mission at all and would still be with you three.

Just because I'm not there though doesn't mean you can quit, your genin now, responsibilities are being placed on your shoulders, and I fully expect you to keep training to improve, such as you Naruto, while you've managed, you still have a long ways to go on chakra control.

In the second scroll I've left you some fuinjutsu books along with a list of chakra control exercises you can do to, keep up the good work, use your brain more that's all I'll say, don't just rely on brute force all the time, it won't work eventually and the enemy will wise up to your actions.

With a kit for your fuinjutsu supplies, as well as a new yukata that signifies your status as a genin, for you Sasuke, I've left a couple books on some advanced fire style and lightning style jutsu's, a book on advanced kenjutsu, Samurai style, a new sword and a new yukata.

Keep up the good work as well and your sharingan will eventually awaken, believe that it will and it will Sasuke, don't give up like I told Sakura all the time, her parents are out there alive waiting, just don't lose hope and good things will come your way.

Lastly Sakura, I can't express my apology enough to you for leaving you like this, I'm well aware of your emotional state and that this will hurt you, my last and final regret to be honest as I fear I didn't train you enough even though we had seven years together.

Don't stop looking for your parents, I won't either if I can I'll even send you a message if I find something about them, also I know you wanted to learn so I left you some supplies to learn puppetry unfortunately I won't be there to teach you like you wanted.

Everything is in the scroll for you three, use it wisely and good luck, may you carve your paths as official shinobi of the Leaf now that your genin and maybe someday we'll meet again, when your older and wiser, Chunin perhaps.

Sasori Akasuna~

After reading the scroll a couple more times to make sure they weren't dreaming Sakura dropped it like it was on fire and vanished into her bathroom, the door slammed shut followed by loud sobs because yet another person had left her, someone who was very important to her heart.

Sasori was the first person to believe in her after all so this was definitely a blow, Naruto and Sasuke shared a look with each other before hesitantly going forward and trying the bathroom door, twisting the knob unsuccessfully indicating that Sakura had locked it behind her.

"Come on Sakura, you heard Akasuna-sensei, if he'd had another choice he wouldn't have taken on this mission, Lord Hokage probably had to beg him" the Uchiha called over the loud crying, oh how he hated the sound of that, her heart was already fragile now it was broken again.

It was totally unfair "Yeah, yeah Sakura-chan, I bet Sasori-ni fought against the idea of leaving us, tooth and nail believe it" the blonde Uzumaki nodded his head eagerly though Sakura couldn't see it, yet she continued crying for a long time.

So long that Shisui body flickered into the apartment to find out what was taking Sasuke so long to come home "I take it she knows" Shisui flinched, this was only the second time Sakura had ever cried that he knew of and both times she'd lost someone close to her.

"Damn if only Hokage-sama had convinced Akasuna to stay, she wouldn't be like this" the older Uchiha hissed under his breath, to low for Sasuke to hear thankfully as he body flickered back to the Compound to inform the Clan Heads what was going on.

Eventually Sakura did stumble out of the bathroom, cheeks stained with tears, eyes blood shot and puffy "I want to be alone for a while please" the rosette requested, ushering Naruto and Sasuke out of her apartment anyway and firmly shut the door behind them when they were out.

Promising inwardly once she'd calmed down to give them the gifts Sasori had left them each before going to her bedroom and flopping face first on the comforter that Sasori had helped her pick out to match her personality in a way, drifting off into a restless sleep after that.

For the next couple of hours she slept until knocking erupted on her door, it was mellow though even hesitant so Sakura forced herself up from her bed, regretting not fully climbing up on her bed and went to answer her door "Sakura Haruno correct" someone she didn't know inquired.

She blinked her eyes a couple of times before slowly nodding "Yes that's me, is there something you want from me" Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion already plotting out an escape route just in case this ended up going south on her.

"Yes good, Ibiki Morino sent me to see if you were interested in becoming a part-time member of T&I, he's had a spot reserved for you if I recall, the names Tonbo brat, come when you feel up to it or if your interested" Tonbo thrust a some documents at her then body flickered.

With wide eyes Sakura sat and filled out the paperwork to become a part-time member of the Torture and Interrogation unit, then took a deep breath and reached for the second scroll Sasori had left behind which had their rewards in them as he liked to call them.

He'd been sure to make sure they knew how to differentiate between gifts and rewards, but soon several were scattered across her desk, three individual scrolls, each with their names on it, books, weapons and supplies among the pile with a few unexpected things.

Such as a headband that she recognized as Sasori's, why would he leave that if he was going on a mission 'Unless it was to go undercover and no one could know that he was a Leaf Shinobi' the thought hit her like a tidal wave, that's why he said he would most likely not be back.

And probably another reason why he hadn't told them he was leaving in person the questions would have been agonizing since he wouldn't be able to tell them where he was going and such, there was also a fourth scroll that when unsealed revealed unique looking puppets.

Unique as in they looked just like her, Naruto and Sasuke, they were pretty creepy actually and she quickly sealed them away again, picking through the rest and putting them in separate piles so she could hand the rewards to the correct persons.

There was an individual note as well, with an address from Hidden Sand on it, in Sasori's neat scrawl it explained that it was so she could order more supplies for her puppets, also the address to the weapons shop he had their weapons custom made at all the time and clothing shop address.

Last there was some paperwork with his scrawl on it, a note on top that told her to turn it all in at the hospital to receive additional medical ninjutsu training if she wanted it, finished with that she grabbed the other scroll with her name on it and unsealed it.

Revealing six yukata in the same style's she'd grown use to and comfortable with, two sets of reinforced mesh clothes, three pairs of shorts, two new pairs of sandals, metal plated gloves, and hair ties for her long hair that she'd refused to cut over the years.

It was down to waist length the last time she'd checked which had been a few days ago, there were some more arrows for her bow, books on puppetry, chakra strings, advanced taijutsu, elemental ninjutsu, and how to make her own puppet, a pouch full of medical supplies, among other things.

Such as portable burner with nonmetallic pot, flasks, vials, filter paper, hypodermic needles, microscope, herbs, both medical and poisonous, a second fan that matched the one she already had, puppetry supplies and last was a fifth scroll in the midst of everything else.

That when unsealed she nearly choked on her spit as it was a large wallet filled with money that Sasori had left her most likely a quick check proved that it wasn't just her, but Naruto and Sasuke as well who'd received some money from their erstwhile sensei.

Finished, everything was sealed away again and Sakura stood determinedly, grabbing up the things meant for Naruto marched to her door and across the hall before knocking carefully since it was getting close to nighttime indicating how long she'd been out of it.

"Oh Sakura-chan what are you doing here" Naruto answered the door warily only to brighten for a second until he got a good look at his friend, who looked like she'd been through hell, her hair was in complete disarray and her eyes were red from her bout of crying.

Sakura smiled calmly though "Here it's what he left you Naruto-kun, I'm going to make dinner if you haven't already eaten and I'm going to invite Sasuke as well, considering I probably worried you both I'll cook the celebratory meal for us becoming genin" the rosette announced.

Presenting a scroll with his name on it "Thanks Sakura-chan and Sasuke's here actually, he told his parents that we lost a bet against you so they allowed him to stay, want me to get him so we can all cook together instead" the blonde answered.

Taking the scroll with careful hands "What about me" Sasuke so coincidentally appeared before Naruto could turn and call out to him "And just so you know I suck at cooking" the Uchiha informed not wanting to be pressured into cooking because he partially lost the bet.

Emerald orbs rolled upwards "Course you do Sasuke, anyway I'll cook so hush up, here's the stuff he left you Sasuke" Sakura scoffed glad for the normal interactions between the three of them and thrust the third and final scroll out at Sasuke who took it like Naruto had.

"Just go ahead and get started then Sakura-chan, I'm gonna change into one of my new outfits" Naruto waved her off, Sakura turned on her heel and marched back to her own apartment vanishing within and leaving the door unlocked as she headed for the bathroom first.

Having had the same idea as Naruto, "Looks like we're in sync, if we're put on a team we won't have to do much teamwork training" Sasuke snorted plopping down in a chair at the small kitchen table that Sakura had in her apartment courtesy of Sasori.

Though both boys had the feeling that Sasori's name was going to be taboo for awhile, Sakura flashed him a small smile then focused on pulling out ingredients for their celebratory dinner "Oi what's this Sakura-chan" the blonde Uzumaki called out from the small living room.

By her desk, he'd found the paperwork to become a part-time member of the T&I Squad "For T&I apparently Ibiki-sensei was serious about reserving me a spot, I'm interested so filled it out to hand in tomorrow, the other is to receive additional medical ninjutsu training at the hospital" the pinkette admitted quietly.

Sasuke shot her a wide-eyed look "Kami your going to be in for it now Sakura, T&I isn't for the soft you know" the ebony haired preteen warned only to flinch at the silence that followed, however Sakura merely continued making dinner for the three of them.

"Nice going Teme after she seemed to be doing so well you go and say something like that, you know Sakura-chan has issues with her confidence not to mention she absolutely hates people telling her she can't do something" Naruto hissed in his hear suddenly.

Making the other preteen boy jump and almost fall out of his chair in response "Right…I was going to apologize, I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't do it Sakura, just that it will be hard and challenging" Sasuke grimaced hating how easy it was to upset her sometimes.

Peridot orbs clashed with obsidian, anger in their depths, followed by acceptance "Fine apology accepted next time I'll punch you out the window, also I know it'll be hard and challenging that's what will make it so rewarding down the road" Sakura huffed.

Unable to truly be angry with Sasuke and anytime he did say something insulting he always apologized so there was little point, soon enough a delicious spread as before them and they all dug in celebrating their promotion to genin, even if an integral part of their group was gone.

Eventually the boys traipsed off back to Naruto's apartment after nearly demolishing all the food she made, alone again Sakura sat and pulled out the headband Sasori had left her, the cloth was dyed a light green for some reason, the metal of the headband tempered dark pink.

A split second decision had her replacing the headband she'd received for graduating with Sasori's, tying it around her neck as she did so, and cleaning up afterwards from their celebratory dinner, padding off to her bathroom to take a shower once she was done, then headed to bed.

Her alarm woke her early the following morning and she was quick to dress then make breakfast and eat before heading out her apartment door "Morning Sakura-chan" the blonde haired Uzumaki yawned in greeting having set an alarm as well probably.

"Yeah morning whatever" the Uchiha grumbled looking exhausted, seemed sleeping over at Naruto's had adverse effects, Sakura snickered under her breath but looped her arms through theirs and drug them down the steps of the apartment complex.

Leading the way to the academy "Can't wait to hear who's on my team and who our sensei will be" the pinkette exclaimed, forcing herself to not think about the important people missing from her life, they wouldn't want her moping after all so she wasn't going to.

Both boys on either side of her nodded in agreement and were about to comment when Naruto spotted what headband she was wearing "Isn't that his headband, how did you get it Sakura-chan" Naruto frowned in confusion, slightly jealous because his was boring blue.

While her's was colored "Yeah it is, though why it's like this I don't know and because I think the mission he had to go on required him to make sure no one knew he was a Leaf Shinobi" Sakura shrugged not entirely sure but it was the best she'd been able to come up with.

Naruto slumped his shoulders guess Sasori's name really was going to be taboo for awhile "Don't worry Dope, we can go get ours done the same way later" Sasuke snorted, allowing himself to be dragged forward at Sakura's pace until they reached the academy.

And crowded into a different row than they were use to, her in the middle like usual, they settled down to wait and even pulled out books to read "Who let the pink haired freak and demon become genin" Ami marched up to them moments later interrupting their reading.

"Of course I don't mean you Sasuke-kun, your the best after all" the purple haired preteen giggled in an annoying way that had Sasuke cringing out of all his fan-girls he hated this one the most, it would probably be Ino if she hadn't given up on him already.

Sakura rolled her eyes "Shut up Ami is that anyway to talk to potential teammates, kami I really dislike you and for the last time stop calling Naruto that name, he's not a demon so you know what get over it or else" the rosette snapped hotly, temper flaring already.

The other girl took three steps back "You know Sakura if you end up being on a team with her, she'll probably drive you insane" the Uchiha commented suddenly leaning his head on his hand and just staring ahead of him blankly, doing his best to ignore most things going on around him.

"Gotta agree with Sasuke for once and I really hope that doesn't happen" the blonde shuddered then dived head first into his newest fuinjutsu book, he wanted to keep getting better so that in the case Sasori ever got to come back which was a big if he could show him how he'd improved.

Ami scowled furiously and stalked off in anger as she realized that she couldn't get under Sakura's skin anymore, hadn't been able to for a long time actually and sat down with her two friends who'd also managed to graduate and become genin with her.

Left alone now Sasuke and Sakura went back to reading like Naruto was still doing, they read uninterrupted for the next twenty minutes until Ino plopped down in the row below them "Morning are you excited" Ino greeted distracting them.

Nods were her only answer "Yeesh talk about weird" the blonde heiress huffed but turned forward as the rest of her classmates now fellow genin gathered in their classroom of the last seven years, that's when Iruka finally made an appearance.

"Congratulations to all of you for becoming genin, I can't express how proud of you all I am and I hope you set an example for the shinobi world by carving your own paths to complete your dreams, with that I shall now announce your teams" Iruka stated in a proud tone.

Slightly limping as he walked across the classroom to the teachers podium, Sakura immediately picked up on that as she wondered what had happened but was distracted as Iruka began rattling off names and team number, making a point to not say who would be their sensei strangely.

Until he got to her name "Team Seven, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha that is all" the brunet haired Chunin informed, again leaving out who would be their jonin sensei, but she was relieved to have Naruto and Sasuke as her teammates.

It got her glares from Sasuke's fan-girls though but she ignored them, instead settled back in her seat as Iruka finished off the rest of her classmates turned fellow genin "Your sensei's will meet you here within the hour" Iruka told them.

And not waiting for any complaints about teammates and such vanished out the classroom door, "Well at least we're together as a team" Sasuke commented finally putting down his book on advanced kenjutsu, how the samurai do it to be precise.

Which made him wonder how Sasori had gotten a hold of such a book, though there was no chance to ask because the man was gone "Weird don't you think that he didn't tell us our sensei's name, only told us that our sensei was just going to meet us here" Sakura added.

"Yeah, yeah Sakura-chan, also did you notice, Iruka-sensei was limping I wonder what was up with that" Naruto piped in also having noticed the limp his second favorite sensei had been sporting that morning for their last day meeting in the academy.

Neither of his teammates knew the answer to his question so they settled back and watched as the classroom emptied of their fellow genin until they were the last ones and it was past the stated time their sensei was supposed to meet them.

Her eye twitched and she tapped a nail on the desk before her "Freaking jerk making us wait, who does this person think they are being late on an important day like this" the pinkette scowled angrily not to impressed with their sensei whoever it might be.

Sasuke inched away from her as subtly as possible "How about setting up a prank for him, it'll serve our sensei right" the raven of the team suggested wanting to see the two pranksters in action, Sakura's plans were outright diabolical sometimes.

Viridian orbs sparked with mischief "Let's do it Sakura-chan" the blonde nodded when she turned to him and they began whispering heatedly back and forth, then went about setting up their prank, first course of action was casting an illusion that would deceive anyone watching.

Then Sakura heaved Naruto up to wedge an eraser between the door and wall from the chalkboard, followed by trip wire, Sasuke even got in on it by adding a mild lightning jutsu to the next step of the prank which was a jutsu tag placed under a camouflage genjutsu.

Fourth was another trip wire, that caused a smoke bomb of itching powder to burst, all of which was placed under an illusion and last were the puppets of Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke that Sasori had left, transformed to look just like them as the real versions hid under Iruka's podium.

Squeezed together uncomfortably, using a chakra suppression tag, while the first genjutsu was undone, now it was all a matter of just waiting for whoever their sensei was supposed to be to show up so they could prank him and prank him good.

Never let it be said that when a suggestion is made they don't half-ass that suggestion, the only thing that was missing was a camera to take pictures of their prank in action "I wonder what his face will look like when he/she realizes they've been had" Sasuke smirked.

"Quiet Sasuke, we only have a chakra suppression tag made do you want to get caught" Sakura scolded in a hushed whisper, slapping a hand over her mouth as they all heard sandals squeaking on the wood flooring of the hall outside the classroom they were all in.

And the sound of the door sliding open and the eraser hitting whoever their sensei was on the head, they could all hear as the jutsu tag was set off because a man's voice filled their ears "Crap you three what the hell" it was unknown to them so that dashed their hopes of someone familiar.

But the piece to de la resistance was when a crash sounded as their sensei tripped over the hidden trip wire and had the smoke bomb burst on him "Kami you three are going to be in so much tr…ah, ah what is this what did you do" followed by the sound of furious scratching.

As the itching powder did it's job, Sakura had to slap a hand over Naruto's mouth as well when it seemed to be to difficult for him to keep from laughing any longer, finally it seemed though that their sensei had reached the row where their puppets were.

Talking to them until he realized something was amiss "That was so hilarious I wish I could have seen it" Naruto couldn't take it anymore and squeezed himself out from beneath the podium to face their unknown sensei who had silver hair in a whacky hairdo and one onyx eye.

Face covered with a mask and headband slanted sideways to cover his other eye "It's what you get for being late Sensei" the pinkette informed not happy with the man in the least as she stood and dusted off her yukata from anything that might have gotten on it while they were hiding.

"Because being on time could mean a matter between life or death" the second Uchiha heir announced having had that drilled into his head for the last four years, it hadn't been fun in the least, but that prank had been totally awesome.

Their sensei faced them, slight shock in his visible eye as he looked from the door, clear to their puppets "Up to the roof, we'll introduce ourselves" he finally said disappearing in a plume of smoke as he body flickered up to the roof.

Leaving them to clean up after themselves, then head up to the roof after their sensei "Okay how exactly do you want us to introduce ourselves" Sasuke questioned when they were sat before the man that was their sensei again up on the roof.

"Your name, things you like, things you don't like, hopes for the future stuff like that" he waved his hand dismissively not even giving them an example, it was almost like he was against being their sensei and Sakura honed in on that reluctance.

Having a sixth sense for that sort of thing it seemed "Why don't you go first then sensei" Sakura suggested wanting to get a little more information so she could look the man up later in the library, first and foremost she was a very studious person, studying was her life's passion.

Clearly he didn't even want to do that much as the man sighed "Kakashi Hatake, things I like, things I don't like, my dream not telling you" Kakashi finally said, only giving the kids his name because he was sure they wouldn't last long as his students anyway.

The lone girl's emerald orbs narrowed on him though almost as if she knew how he felt "My names Naruto Uzumaki, I love ramen and I hate the three minutes I have to wait for instant ramen to cook, my dream though is to be the greatest Hokage" Naruto blurted in the next moment.

Seemingly oblivious and completely naive to Kakashi, who hadn't kept tabs on the blonde that was his sensei's son over the years "Good, good what about you girl" the silver haired Jonin gestured to the lone girl in their midst and she immediately straightened.

"I am Sakura Haruno, I like training and studying, there's lots of things I dislike but I'm not going into any details right now, I have two things, one a dream to be just like Tsunade-sama and a goal to put an arrow straight through Orochimaru's heart for taking my parents" the pinkette stated.

Procuring a metal bow from a scroll to show it off proudly and one of her arrows which was also metal "Holy crap Sakura-chan that's scary" the blonde Uzumaki shuddered and with her skills at crafting antidotes and poisons Orochimaru was probably going to be a dead person soon.

Off to the side their last remaining teammate rolled his eyes "Sasuke Uchiha, I like very few things, I hate my brother for becoming a murderous traitor and my goal is to become the best heir of the Uchiha Clan and revive it with a certain someone" the ebony haired preteen said.

Not daring to glance in her direction because he knew she would be giving him that death glare for even mentioning his goal that involved her, their sensei raised a brow at this "Meet on training grounds seven tomorrow at 7, oh and don't eat or you'll puke" Kakashi warned.

Missing the lone girl rolling her eyes "Right whatever I bet he's just trying to trick us so we won't have much energy" Sasuke snorted seeing beneath the underneath beating Sakura to the punch essentially, who the heck did that guy take them for anyway naive idiots or something probably.

"Did you get the feeling that he didn't even want to be here" Naruto asked as they headed back towards the apartment complex, both Sasuke and Sakura nodded fortunately so at least he wasn't wrong about his unexpected perceptiveness that day twice now which was odd.

Upon returning to the apartment complex Sasuke started off in the direction of the Uchiha Compound "Set your alarm for five and come to mine, I'll have breakfast ready and waiting, make sure you pack a few things as well" Sakura called and got a wave in response.

Then she turned into her apartment while Naruto did the same to his and sat down at her desk, grabbing a pencil with a scroll to start strategizing and coming up with plans for them to use during whatever training their sensei was going to have them do.

Just for an hour, then made an early dinner, ate, took a shower afterwards and went to bed early after setting her alarm for four o'clock in the morning, which would give them four hours to go over some plans to beat their sensei at whatever he was plotting.

Shockingly though she woke up five minutes before her alarm was to go off which gave her five extra minutes to dress without wasting any time and make sure all her weapons and supplies were where they were supposed to be fitted to her body and such.

Before heading to her small kitchen to cook breakfast for her, Naruto and Sasuke, Naruto was the first one to show up twenty minutes later "Set my alarm a little to early" the blonde flushed red in embarrassment when she gave him an amused smile and ushered him into her apartment.

"Pretty sure Sasuke will show up in about fifteen minutes or so, so I don't think you have to much to worry about Naruto-kun" the rosette rubbed his head with her knuckles gently, plating up the food since it was done early, with plenty enough time to plot and strategize.

Like though Sasuke did show up fifteen minutes later "Guess I'm not the only one who woke up a little early" Sasuke deadpanned, Sakura laughed lightly but gestured at the table where the three of them sat and ate before crowding at the low table in Sakura's small living room.

"Okay I thought up a few things that will for sure throw Kakashi-sensei off his game, tell me what you think" Sakura pushed over her list of several plans and strategies that would put a master strategist to shame most likely with the amount of thought that had gone into each.

The boys took it and read over it together "Not bad, I especially like the one where we go in acting like we don't want anything to do with one another and then later on team up against him" Sasuke smirked finding the idea fun, complete with putting on a fake act and fake arguing.

"What about this one, we hide our true abilities until the last moment so he doesn't know what all we can exactly do" Naruto offered baby blue eyes wide and full of excitement, mischief as well as they sat around debating for several minutes amongst themselves.

Even tweaking some of the plans to be more reasonable and within their skill range, their opponent was a Jonin after all, then when it was nearing the time for them to be at the training grounds Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura grabbed a bag of apples and rationed the apples between them.

So that each of them had four, one of which they ate on their way to their team training grounds, getting rid of the evidence that they'd eaten despite Kakashi telling them not to and crowded on the training field each of them having this funny feeling that their sensei was going to be late again.

And they were right to as two hours later at nine Kakashi body flickered before them in a plume of smoke "Good your here, I'll explain what you'll be doing today" Kakashi nodded not sure how long they'd been waiting and not really caring.

As he pulled out two bells, emerald, baby blue and onyx eyes honed in on the bells immediately "The point to today's exercise is you have to get these bells from me, if you don't you'll be stuck in the academy for the rest of your life" the silver haired Jonin informed seriously.

"But there's only two bells, that means one of us will fail anyway" the pinkette of the team piped in naively, already not understanding or looking beneath the underneath and he wanted to sigh, well now for sure they were all going to fail.

"Guess the Teme's out, me and Sakura-chan have this in the bag" the blonde Uzumaki crossed his arms across his chest, starting the fake argument, Sasuke turned with a realistic scowl on his lips, probably the guy was always scowling anyway.

Then opened his mouth to argue "Your out to then Dope, Lord Hokage doesn't need a hopeless little loser like you running around mucking up things" the Uchiha spat, wincing internally because that sounded just a little to mean even to his ears.

Fortunately Naruto understood because they had to make this as believable as possible or else their plan wouldn't work "Ha don't make me laugh between the three of us I got the highest scores in class and passed the graduation exam with flying colors" Sakura pointed out bluntly.

Joining the fake argument until Kakashi intervened "Enough the point is to get a bell I don't care how you do it so long as you come at me with the intent to kill, ready go" Kakashi clapped already disheartened that another batch of genin would fail his test.

If they couldn't learn to get along then all of them would be sent back to the academy no if's and or buts about it "Like we need to be told that Kakashi" Sasuke scoffed under his breath vanishing from sight, Sakura on his heels in the opposite direction.

Splitting up "Cowards guess I'll be the first one to snag a bell" Naruto was the only one left and he charged at his sensei fists flying, reverting back to his old style of taijutsu which was underdeveloped hiding his true skill with hand to hand combat.

Meanwhile hidden in a tree Sasuke wanted to slap his forehead, though their idea was going according to plan, Naruto was still goofy and reckless, he spied Sakura off to the side in the bushes shaking her head, then she was gone moving to another place, so he did the same.

That way Kakashi couldn't pinpoint their exact location while he dealt with Naruto, who fell for his traps time and time again, until he was strung up in a tree by his ankle "Time to deal with Sakura" the silver haired Jonin snapped his book shut.

Heading after the lone girl, Sakura swung around as a swirl of leaves surrounded her "You think a genjutsu is going to work on me Kakashi-sensei" the rosette rolled her eyes, flashing through the hand signs to release her from the illusion that had been cast on her.

Fake screaming so it will lower his guard some then made her way to Sasuke, who was stuck under ground for further affect she fake fainted to give their acting some flourish "Kami do you have to go overboard for everything" the raven whispered as he dug his way out of the ground.

Sakura smirked and they tracked down Naruto who was still hung upside down "I say it's time we show Kakashi-sensei what we're truly made of" the blonde sniggered cutting himself loose and landing neatly on his feet as they disappeared into the forest on their training grounds together.

Underneath a chakra suppression tag "First things first, Kakashi-sensei will be expecting this of you not me Sasuke, so I want you to throw my hair ornament, it doesn't have to hit him just be in close range and release the genjutsu sealed inside" Sakura explained.

Plucking the bell hair ornament from her hair that kept her bangs pinned back and handing it to Sasuke "We'll need some distractions so I'll send out a few of my shadow clones, have them give him the runaround for a few minutes" Naruto grinned eager to put their plan in action.

"Suppose I could throw in a few fire jutsu's, that will be your signal to have your clones dispel understand Naruto, the rest will be up to Sakura, who's made a sleeping gas to knock him out" Sasuke finished settling into a position that gave him a great vantage point.

To watch their plan go down, Kakashi wouldn't know what hit him they were sure of it "Finally come out of hiding have you Naruto, here I thought you'd given up after you got stuck in that tree earlier" Kakashi chuckled amused and disappointed that they still hadn't learned yet.

He didn't even both shutting his book as the blonde came after him, then there were two Naruto's and three and he realized that the kid knew the shadow clone jutsu, which was impressive if not slightly worrisome because he didn't even know how Naruto would have learned that jutsu.

When one clone went down there was a great whoosh followed the air heating up and he had to dodge the fire jutsu that had been sent at him from the tree line, and another, from a different point, making it hard to tell exactly where Sasuke was as his clan specialized in fire jutsu's.

The rest of the Naruto clones dispelled at the sight of the fireballs speeding their way, leaving no one but Kakashi on the field and when he was thoroughly distracted, what looked like a hair ornament embedded itself in the ground before him.

And he was sucked into a genjutsu so suddenly that it shocked him so little Sasuke was the one who'd cast those illusions yesterday, but when he managed to break out of the genjutsu that had been cast on him there was smoke in the air.

His vision went swam "Da..Damn it" the silver haired jonin cursed under his breath as he realized it was sleeping gas, falling flat on his face a moment later as he passed out from the gas while his three students came from the tree line and snagged the two bells tied to his waist.

"Come on Sakura, wake him up, we've won already after all" the Uchiha of Team Seven smirked proud that they'd bested a jonin even at their pitiful rank of genin, Sakura bent and injected their sensei with a detoxifier to flush his system of the sleeping gas she'd used on him.

Before giving him a jolt with her chakra to wake him up once she was sure that he wasn't under the influence anymore "Gotcha Kakashi-sensei, we totally had you thrown for a loop" the rosette stood when his eye cracked open and he jumped to his feet like he was on fire.

Patting himself down and finding the bells missing "Over here Kakashi-sensei, we also figured out the point to your exercise, it was teamwork, we'd known all along actually because you underestimated us right from the get-go" the blonde Uzumaki whistled.

Followed by the tinkling of bells as he wiggled them "How so, wait a minute you mean that argument was staged" Kakashi was as close to gaping as he'd ever been, outsmarted by a bunch of genin oh the humiliation and he hoped the others never learned of this.

"Exactly, we knew that if acted like a team from the very beginning it would just alert you to our own plan to throw you off your guard, we didn't start up right away though because we weren't sure what kind of training exercise you would have us do" Sasuke shrugged.

Kakashi felt his eye twitch in mild frustration "Yes that whole time we were faking, by the way I purposely allowed myself to fall for your traps, I'm not as naive as you think I am" Naruto piped in, grin stretching across his face widely.

"Admit it Kakashi-sensei we have you beat and you know it" Sakura crossed her arms over her chest stood in between her teammates, Kakashi slumped his shoulders and took a deep breath before congratulating them and informing the three genin that they were official genin.

Then dismissed them until the followed day "Well I'm off to drop this paperwork off at T&I and the hospital, want to come with, then we can see about getting your headbands like my only in your preferred colors" the rosette smiled brightly.

Looping her arms through theirs anyway as they headed for T&I "Sure we'll come with you Sakura, not like your giving us any choice" the raven haired preteen snorted simply allowing himself to be dragged along and not arguing because there would be no point to it.

Naruto rolled his eyes lightly "Hey maybe we can ask to be part-timers to Sasuke that way at least we have something do when we don't have missions or training and such" the blonde gave a brilliant idea so that's what they did.

Filling out the paperwork right there at T&I while Sakura was informed what her duties would be as a part-timer, no torture sessions for her, it would be strictly interrogation for now, but she was directly under Ibiki's command, kind of like his apprentice.

They got stuck under a crazy purple haired lady named Anko Mitarashi, who bound them together with snakes when they started grating on her nerves for yacking to much, they also weren't allowed to participate in torture sessions and were strictly slated for interrogations sessions only.

Next was the hospital so Sakura could turn in the paperwork requesting additional medical ninjutsu training "Hey mind if I learn to, or do I have to have permission from a sensei" Naruto jumped in suddenly wanting to learn some medical ninjutsu.

Which prompted Sasuke to want to do the same thing "Better if all of us learn anyway so that we have a better chance in case one of us is seriously hurt, then two of us can heal them" Sasuke shrugged seemingly uncaring but his teammates knew better.

"Is that alright or do they have to have permission" Sakura worried her lip in concern that it wasn't possible to accommodate either Naruto or Sasuke's requests, thankfully though the paperwork in her hand was enough for all three of them and they were given schedules.

After that they went off to get their headbands done up their preferred way, Naruto's was completely dark orange, while Sasuke's was as black as his hair, which made it difficult to even tell he was wearing a headband as they bid each other farewell until tomorrow and headed home.

Eating a late dinner since it had taken awhile for the paperwork and being shown around, plus getting their headbands personalized, then they took showers or a bath in Sakura's case before crawling into their beds for some shut eye until the next day.


	11. Chapter 10

A week later two members of Team Seven wanted to call it quits already "Those D Ranks are bloody murder on a person" Sasuke scowled, frustrated that they kept getting demeaning missions like that, what use or point was there to weeding someone's garden after all.

"I hear ya Sasuke, I hate them to" Naruto nodded his head in agreement, they'd also given up medical ninjutsu training as they'd both realized how exactly hard it was, Sakura was the only one still part-timing T&I and learning under a medic at the hospital now.

Sakura who rolled her eyes and whacked them both over the back of their heads "D Ranks are important, to establish trust between us and civilians so they know they can count on us to get higher rank missions done and completed without incident" Sakura lectured.

Behind them their sensei snorted under his breath "Well said Sakura-chan, pay attention boys and learn from her example or else I'll make you do more D Ranks today instead of training" Kakashi warned having taken to being their sensei seriously once he realized they wouldn't be giving up.

Naruto and Sasuke immediately straightened at the warning as they finished the last few D Rank Missions they'd been slated, which included catching the Feudal Lords wife's cat, Tora and what a devil of a time they had until Sakura had a brilliant plan.

Which included cornering the blasted cat in an alley, blocking him from jumping to a roof via Naruto plus Naruto clones, Sasuke on standby with a pet carrier in case while Sakura confronted him head on, attaching chakra strings to Tora, preventing the cat from escaping.

Thus allowing them to put Tora in the pet carrier to return to Madame Shijimi "Glad that's over now can we please get to training Kakashi-sensei, we do have part-time work at T&I to do today" the blonde Uzumaki whined suddenly surprising his sensei.

"Oops looks like we forgot to mention that, but Naruto's right, all three of us have an interrogation session to observe, plus organizing the archives and maybe some paperwork, Mitarashi wasn't to clear on that for Naruto and I at least" the raven of the team nodded.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration of course he couldn't get normal genin that did things like normal brats were supposed to "Not to mention I have medical ninjutsu training at the hospital" the rosette piped in with a smile.

His eye twitched at that "Can you please try to act normal" the silver haired Jonin groaned, just thanking the kami that they hadn't told anyone how it was they'd beaten him exactly and gotten the bells that had him taking them on as his first students anyway.

But he did lead them to the training grounds and had them spar against one another to see where they needed improvement, he felt like they were still largely holding back on him though and soon he dismissed them for the rest of the day, from afternoon on and he was quick to body flicker off.

Sakura grabbed her teammates by the hands and they all hightailed it to T&I "Thought you brats were going to be late for your first interrogation observation" Anko was waiting for them at the entrance to lead them where the session was going to be.

Unfortunately neither boy seemed to realize that observing meant up close and personal, Sakura had expected though "Had missions and team training Anko-sensei" Sakura announced seriously, if they had been late it would have been their fault for not telling Kakashi earlier.

Anko threw her head back with a laugh and gestured them to follow her "Phew thank kami that crazy lady likes you" Naruto swiped his forehead free of nonexistent sweat, Sakura slanted him an amused glance before facing forward on the chair she'd been placed in.

Right next to Ibiki Morino, who was ruthless even in his interrogation sessions "Yikes why did we want to do this again" Sasuke shuddered, feeling sympathy for the poor bastard that was on the receiving end of Ibiki's wrath, never a pretty sight.

Ibiki shot him a death glare "Quiet brats your supposed to be observing not running your mouths, either get with the program or get out of the interrogation room" the Head of T&I snapped, Sasuke and Naruto immediately slammed their mouths shut with a loud clack of their teeth.

"One more thing, never feel sympathy, never, it'll give them a chance to play you like a fool, wouldn't want that now would ya" Ibiki snarled, sneering at them and he caught Sakura clenching her hands into fists before relaxing to watch the rest of the session.

The boys were the first ones out of the room Anko on their tail "Gonna give them the runaround Morino" the purple haired interrogator saluted, grabbing Naruto and Sasuke by the shirt collars and dragging them off to elsewhere in the T&I building.

Sakura laughed inwardly at their horror filled faces because obviously they didn't want to be alone with their sempai then glanced to her own senpai at T&I "I have high hopes for you remember that brat, let's see if you can get something out of him" the Anbu Commander said.

Gesturing to the bound enemy that had tried to infiltrate them "Not questioning you Ibiki-sensei but is this a good idea" the rosette creased her brow, today was supposed to be observation only, apparently that only applied to Naruto and Sasuke though.

As Ibiki dragged her up onto her feet to stand before the subject of that day's session "Do it brat, I want to see your interrogation technique so that later on I can work on it and help you develop it so you can be a worthy interrogator" Ibiki ordered pressing his hands on her shoulders.

"Well okay Ibiki-sensei, right, let's see…we already have your name, where your from, hmm….motives, what were your motives for coming here" Sakura latched on to a decent line of questioning for her first run of interrogation and got real up close and personal.

Eyes shimmering with mischief "Ain't telling you girly get lost and leave interrogation to grown-ups" the rogue spat in her face, Sakura dodged the spittle that came from his mouth and frowned lightly, putting on a good act.

"That hurts because you see I really want to be the best that I can be for Ibiki-sensei" the pinkette pouted adorably, Ibiki wanted to scoff at her poor questioning abilities, looks like he was going to have to work on her a lot harder than he thought he would have to.

The rogue however was not entirely unaffected by her cuteness "Feh that face of yours makes me sick, for the second time brat get lost" he turned his head away and Ibiki smirked, seemed the kid was good for something after all, using that naivety of hers as a weapon was perfect.

Sakura also caught on that he was lying through his teeth "Oh does it really, how about I give you an up close and personal look so it can make you even sicker, must bother you, do you have a daughter, a family, pity they'll never see you again" Sakura smiled innocently.

A jolt indicated that the rogue had lost his composure "No please I'll do anything just don't kill me, my family doesn't deserve that I'll tell you I swear just please" and then came a plethora of information, seemed she'd struck a nerve in him.

"Better start talking then, what were your motives, how did you get in, did you have help, if so how many" the fuscia haired preteen started rattling off questions, dropping her innocent act, it only got her so far after all the rest was on will alone.

Ibiki sat back watching, perhaps he'd misjudged her to soon, the kid was good and by the time he was through with her, she'd be even better, twenty minutes later he had more information than before so he stood "Okay that's enough brat" the Head of T&I barked.

Sakura nodded forking over all the information she'd written down, "Get gone, I'm sure Mitarashi has already released those two idiots you call teammates and I know you have training at the hospital" Ibiki tilted his head at the door.

"Right see you tomorrow Ibiki-sensei" Sakura waved lightly, disappearing out the door of the interrogation room and making her way back to the top floor of T&I, then out into the village again, bypassing the waiting Naruto and Sasuke on her way to the hospital for training.

Naruto and Sasuke sighed "Come on Dope, let's head to the Compound, Sakura will find us there, my Father wanted to talk to us three about something anyway might as well stop delaying the inevitable" the Uchiha grunted exhausted, he didn't know how Sakura could do it sometimes.

Have such seemingly boundless energy, then again she was in the process of becoming the next chakra control expert and perhaps she'd figured out a way to keep herself going until the end of the day via chakra, it was a definite possibility now that he thought about it.

Which was totally unfair "Oh yeah what does your old man want to talk to us about Teme" the blonde Uzumaki shot right back, hating that nickname more than he hated the nickname Demon that he was still constantly called around the village though it had tamed down quite a lot.

"I don't have a clue Naruto, he just said that he wanted to talk to all three of us, which is weird maybe it's team related" Sasuke shrugged leading the way down the streets to his nearly empty clan compound, he wished more of them had been able to survive.

With a slump of his shoulders Naruto followed after the current heir of the Uchiha Clan "Maybe, guess we'll just have to wait and find out in an hour or so" Naruto passed a hand through his hair ready to go to sleep or at least eat dinner before going to bed that would be great.

Mikoto greeted them at the door with a warm smile "Boys…where's Sakura-chan" Mikoto frowned in confusion, usually Naruto and Sasuke didn't go anywhere that Sakura didn't so this was odd and strange, very worrisome as well.

"At the hospital for medical ninjutsu training isn't that right Naruto-chan, Sasuke-chan" Shisui popped up at exactly the right moment to explain where the missing female member of Team Seven was and Mikoto looked definitely shocked about that.

Especially when both boys nodded "How is she doing after Sasori-san left" the Uchiha Matriarch frowned in concern for the girl who kept losing people, while she still had most of her family in-tact except for Itachi, oh how she missed him but he was a traitor.

Shisui grimaced "For all the airs she puts on about being strong, underneath she's lost and broken about this, if I'm not mistaken she's even avoided saying Akasuna's name" the twenty year old Uchiha informed lips pressed together firmly afterwards.

Unfortunately the two young boys seemed to agree with him about how Sasori's name was taboo around Sakura now, they hadn't mentioned their red-headed sensei either for fear of making Sakura cry again and they certainly didn't want that.

~Meanwhile~

Sakura was neck deep in trying to sync her chakra up to a fish's chakra "Oh hey there did your senpai leave you or something" Kabuto's familiar voice distracted her from her task and she looked up "Need some help" the silver haired teen offered.

"Er only if you want to and yeah kinda, he had to help out in a surgery about twenty minutes ago if I recall" the rosette creased her brow for a moment then smiled as she correctly remembered what had drawn the medic in charge of her training away.

Basically leaving her to train on her own "I'd love to help you Sakura, first lets see how far you've come on the mystical palm" Kabuto instructed with ease, forgoing any suffix this time and her heart gave a jolt, he sounded almost like Sasori it was unreal.

But she turned and focused healing chakra into her hands "Just can't quite figure out how to sync my chakra up properly to a patients chakra" Sakura admitted, feeling nervous all of a sudden, come to think of it, she'd always felt nervous around Kabuto which was strange.

All he'd done was try to ruffle her hair a few times so it didn't make any sense "Good, now match your chakra to the fish's, easy does it Sakura, there see not as hard as you make it" the gray haired teenager smirked when the gash on the fish started knitting together.

Slowly yet surely with a lot more precision than when he'd started out, it had taken him forever, he didn't know how long it had taken her but she definitely had a lot of skill if she expanded on medical ninjutsu and all the little perks that came with it.

Viridian irises filled with triumph as the green glow faded from her hands to reveal an entirely healed fish "Ha beat that for everyone who's doubted me, I'll show them shannaro" the pinkette pumped her arm, on a happy high for the moment anyway.

Kabuto watched her silently with amusement in his gaze and something else that had her heart beating in her chest strangely "Very good Sakura, you might just end up being better than me if you keep training exactly like that" Kabuto chuckled.

Invading her personal space with intent "Na..Nah I d..don't think th..that will be possible Kabuto-san, I've heard rumors th..that your really good" Sakura laughed sheepishly and backed up a couple of steps, not wanting to get close to anyone else.

Onyx eyes narrowed "Yes I'm quite good, I've been learning for several years, however you it looks like your just starting out and you can already heal a fish, next you'll be saving people from life-threatening injuries" the gray haired teenager informed.

Not allowing her to run away from him this time as he trapped her between the table and him "I still have a long ways to go Kabuto-san" the rosette fidgeted nervously against him, going rigid as he leaned closer, so close yet still so far away.

And just when he was about to make his claim on her known, hurried steps sounded in the hallway just as she flashed wide frightened emerald orbs at him right as someone called his name "Until next time Sakura-san" Kabuto removed himself from her personal space.

Straightened his clothes that were already unruffled, pushed his glasses back into their proper places and left Sakura to continue her medical ninjutsu training "Don't think so weirdo" Sakura scoffed wary now as she finished the last half hour of her training and skedaddled.

Making a beeline to the Uchiha Compound when she felt Naruto's chakra in that direction, Shisui met her at the gates "Is everything okay Shisui-san, why is Naruto here" the pinkette frowned up at the Uchiha who'd kind of kidnapped her a long time ago.

Her grudge towards him for that was petty so decided to let it go "Fugaku-sama wishes to speak with the three of you, Sakura-chan" Shisui announced, leading the way down the compound streets, ignoring the empty houses as best he could.

Until they reached the main house that was still in working order "Did you find her Shisui" Fugaku questioned when he heard the door opening, then shutting and two familiar chakra signatures flared in his senses, indicating that yes Shisui had found Sakura.

"Yep hold up just a minute Fugaku-sama, Sakura-chan's taking off her sandals" came the twenty one year old's amused voice followed by a girlish scream, Sakura must have retaliated in some way shape or form and his lips quirked up briefly into a ghost of an amused smile.

Then it was back to his usual frown seconds later "Honestly must you antagonize Sakura-chan, Shisui-chan" Mikoto shook her head when the duo appeared in the living room where the rest of them were gathered, Shisui eyeing Sakura warily and standing as far from her as he could.

"As I understand you wish to talk with Naruto, Sasuke and I, Uchiha-sama" Sakura inquired, standing straight and proper before the Patriarch until he gestured for her to sit, while Shisui disappeared to find out where the boys had vanished off to.

Fugaku nodded "Correct, it is something of the utmost importance Haruno-san, one that should lift your spirits" the brunet Uchiha Clan Patriarch announced watching as she folded herself into seiza on the pillow that had been placed down for her by his wife.

"Stop lollygagging Naruto-chan, Sasuke-chan, Fugaku-sama's already waited long enough for Sakura-chan don't make him wait any longer" Shisui's voice could be heard from somewhere in the house and Sakura was sorely tempted to roll her eyes.

Imagine her surprise when Fugaku did exactly that "Forgive Shisui, he has a flare for the dramatics that drives everyone insane sometimes" Fugaku deadpanned, Sakura bit her cheek harshly to keep from laughing, kami that had been hilarious.

Just a moment later Naruto and Sasuke were seated on either side of her, while Shisui took a seat in an armchair as Fugaku cleared his throat "On permission from Lord Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno as of today you are wards of the Uchiha Clan" the brunet stated simply.

Knowing he was about to get a complaint from the two orphans and raised his hand signaling for them to wait "Merely for protection, your lives are your own, we have no authority over either of you, but it does mean you have to move into the compound" the Uchiha Patriarch continued.

"A house has been chosen and cleaned out for the both of you and you'll have unrestricted access to the training grounds here in the Compound, you can even invite your sensei" the Matriarch piped in with a kind smile knowing the kids needed this.

"You are however expected to show up sometimes and have dinner with us understand" the ebony haired woman said in a stern sounding voice that had both preteen's nodding their heads in agreement not daring to even argue with the sometimes strict woman.

Shisui chuckled under his breath at their dumbstruck expressions "That's not all little Sasuke-chan will be joining you to learn independence, the Clan library is open to you two as well, so long as you have a chaperone, myself essentially and that's about all the perks of being a ward to the Uchiha Clan" the ebony haired teenager grinned.

None of the kids knew quite what to say after that huge and life changing announcement "Why…why offer us that sort of protection, I'm not even from a clan background" the rosette questioned forehead creased in confusion and fear in her eyes.

Getting close to people was a bad idea that's why she'd tried to keep her distance from their sensei "Yeah and what are we gonna need access to your library for" the blonde Uzumaki tilted his head to the side like a puppy, not really liking this announcement so far.

Having that thought the kids would have some complaints "Some books on sealing jutsu are in there Naruto, I saw them somewhere last time I went" the second Uchiha heir stated shocked but finding he liked the idea if it got them working in sync even more.

"Maybe not but after your parents were targeted by Orochimaru, you became a person of interest to him as well, with your skills and abilities any rogue would want to capture you and use you against your village, and for Naruto an organization called Akatsuki is after him" Fugaku said.

Speaking plainly since it was the only way to make the kids understand they were truly in danger and that he wasn't trying to pull one over on them "That's right you were never told, surely you want to keep close to Naruto right Sakura-chan" Shisui commented.

Knowing that Sakura was rather fond of Naruto and if he was in any kind of danger she'd want to stick to the boy like glue, she went rigid at that and instinctively reached to cover Naruto "If that's what you think is best we'll do it, I just don't want to lose anyone else" Sakura said.

Her sadness of loosing three important people to her heart shining through at last "You'll see everything will be alright Sakura-chan, now you two best be off to start packing your belongings, you as well Sasuke-chan" Mikoto stood pleased that things were going their way for once.

Even if they didn't have total authority over Sakura, she was to smart for that, having outwitted every single one of their plans to get her interested in Sasuke, she was still glad that at least Sakura and Naruto would have better protection now at least that was the plan anyway.

Anbu were supposed to be patrolling the area in which they lived twenty-four/seven on the Hokage's orders to ensure the rest of them didn't die out nor have that incident from four years ago repeated, if only Danzo hadn't been around they'd still be a whole clan.

She shook her head and watched the kids scramble off, it took four hours in total and then Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were all moved in to their own house "Guess this won't be to bad" Naruto piped in looking around for any sign of the horrific incident that had happened.

"This was one of the houses that didn't get hit, so looking for blood or something your not going to find it Naruto" Sasuke snorted, heading up the stairs, it was a big house fortunately so each of them would get their own rooms, with bathrooms attached thank you very much.

Sakura narrowed her emeralds orbs "Just so you know Sasuke, Naruto, I won't be the only one cooking, so you better start learning or else" the pinkette warned, it just wouldn't be fair if cooking meals was her responsibility alone.

Both Naruto and Sasuke gulped quietly "Got it Sakura-chan you don't have to worry, at least I know how to cook some, it's just Sasuke that doesn't know how to cook, but he'll learn, we'll make sure of it" the blonde Uzumaki sniggered under his breath.

Earning a scowl "Fine only because it'll help us get in sync even more" the raven grouched out reaching the second floor landing, his teammates on his heels to reveal a long winded hallway that went in either direction, the boys went right and the lone girl went left.

Finding the biggest bedroom imaginable, with a secret room in the closet of all places, she had to pry the wood from the floor to find the doorknob and when she entered it, found a medium sized room with a window that she heavily booby-trapped just to be safe.

Before returning to the bedroom part to unseal her belongings "There you are Sakura-chan I thought you were right behind us, imagine our surprise when you weren't" just when she got done arranging her bed in the perfect place Naruto and Sasuke barged into the room she'd chosen.

"Yeah cause you boys get loud and rowdy sometimes, especially when your near each other, I'd like to have peace and quiet thank you" Sakura snorted dryly in amusement and Naruto guffawed, finding the way she'd said that hilarious no doubt.

And it was hard for Sasuke to not laugh as well "Anyway we're done setting up our rooms, we'll do some more later but I offered to take knucklehead to the library for those sealing jutsu books" Sasuke shook his head to focus on the sudden task he had.

Sakura merely waved them off so Sasuke with Naruto in tow headed off to the Uchiha Clan library leaving her to finish up unsealing her things and arranging them exactly the way she wanted before moving on to other rooms.

Living room, dining room, they had a larger table now courtesy of the money that had been left in their care, five chairs that fit around the table comfortably, kitchen, it was an amalgamation of things from both hers and Naruto's, plus food stuffs, with lots of ramen.

Until everything was done, so Sakura returned to the secret room that was inside her closet to look it over closer now that she had time "Perhaps I can use it as my antidote and poison crafting room, that way it's kept apart from those boys" she mused outwardly.

However the concern was that she couldn't leave the stuff unattended which meant figuring out a way to prevent any fires from accidentally happening or poisonous fumes from penetrating the wood that the house was made of.

Before she could even think about heading out to buy some things for the room, Naruto and Sasuke returned so they set to work on dinner together, showered or bathed afterwards and then went to bed after a long tiring day.

Then it was back to training and missions with Kakashi "Okay kids, I know your holding back on me still, so show me what you can actually do and I'll think about getting you a C Rank to test those skills" Kakashi said after missions were done for the day.

Enticing his students to do what he wanted, unfortunately for him they weren't easily bribed "Maybe if you would actually show up on time instead of making us wait for hours on end for you Kakashi-sensei we might be willing to show off a little" the pinkette snipped out.

Clearly cross with him over his constant tardiness, wary to, she didn't quite trust him it seemed, in fact she hadn't really told him much about herself either, which was definitely strange "Hmm I'll think about it" the silver haired Jonin finally nodded.

Setting them the task of learning how to avoid detection that day in which he loosed his ninja hounds on his little students until their training session came to an end and he body flickered on them "Damn man is freaking crazy, just glad we don't have T&I" the Uchiha grunted.

Plopping on the ground utterly exhausted, sweat pouring from his forehead "Well just be glad you didn't have Sa…you weren't training with you know who from the time you were five" the blonde Uzumaki scoffed, nearly slipping up but managing not to in the nick of time.

Thankfully though Sakura hadn't even been paying attention "I'm gonna run to a shop, see you back at the house" Sakura informed suddenly then ran off on them, it was definitely strange, she'd been lost in thought since they'd gotten back from the library yesterday.

"Want to follow her Sasuke, make sure she's not getting in any kind of trouble" Naruto frowned deeply worried about his best friend, it almost seemed like she was pulling away from them a little bit but that couldn't be 'Right' he thought inwardly, a bad feeling forming in his gut.

Immediately Sasuke sat up "Yeah sure let's go, make one of your chakra suppression tags real quick, I'll have one of my hawks tail her for now" Sasuke quickly flashed through some hand signs and sent one of his summons off to keep an eye on Sakura.

Once the tags were finished they took off and found Sakura in a shop, looking at large pieces of metal for some reason, stranger yet was when she bought several then moved on to looking at other things, a metal cabinet, a metal table, metal chair, medical tools.

Maybe it was something for her poison and antidote concocting that made a little more sense and relieved some of his fears a bit, then she pulled out the money she'd been left and bought all the things she'd looked at, sealing them away in a storage scroll when she was done.

And finally exited the shop immediately spotting them since they weren't exactly hidden "What are you two doing" the rosette lifted a brow on them, slightly amused and a little annoyed that they'd followed her while she was shopping for stuff.

"Hehehe we were worried Sakura-chan, you've been lost in thought since yesterday and it almost feels like your trying to distance yourself from us a little" the blonde rubbed the back of his head sheepishly eyes expressing his feelings clearly.

Sasuke too and she couldn't be annoyed at them for that "So what were you getting all that stuff for anyway Sakura" the raven of Team Seven inquired as they started back down the streets to the Uchiha Compound seeing as they had nothing else to do for the rest of the day.

Viridian orbs flashed his way "Oh alright come on I'll show you what it's for" she sighed relenting to his stare, one of the few times he could get to her with it and led the way to her room once they reached their new shared house.

Then to the closet and into a hidden room "Kami you lucky girl you Sakura-chan, I wonder if our rooms have a secret room like this" Naruto whistled under his breath at the spacious room that was hidden behind a door in Sakura's bedroom closet.

She crossed her arms over her chest smugly "I intend on making it a room for my concocting, that way it doesn't bother anyone when I do it" Sakura admitted unsealing the large metal pieces she'd gotten from the shop to start bonding them to the wall and floor with chakra.

Naruto and Sasuke helping "This way you can start concocting" Sasuke added hammering some metal nails into place just in case the other way failed on them and soon the room was set up because Naruto got tired of accidentally whacking his thumb with a hammer so made clones.

Before they knew it everything was in place and the window was very protected "Helloooo anybody home" Shisui's very obnoxious voice called out from the foyer of their house, Sakura rolled her eyes and set down the mortar and pestle she'd just picked up.

"No offense Sasuke but sometimes I really want to hit your cousin" the blue eyed blonde of Team Seven groaned as they exited the hidden room, Sasuke shrugged as if saying there wasn't anything he could do about Shisui and almost looked like he wanted to hit him to sometimes.

Even though they really just wanted to sit down and relax the genin of Team Seven headed downstairs to greet their guest "Yeah what is it Shisui-san" the rosette huffed, narrowing her eyes on Shisui because he was suddenly acting all suspicious.

He whistled innocently until she gave him her patented death glare "Right uh Mikoto-sama sent me to check on you guys, make sure you were doing alright and getting along and stuff, she also sent some groceries for you cabinets" the twenty year old held up a scroll.

Sasuke took it with a snort "Gee how gracious of you Shisui-san, we're fine really and you can tell her that and thank you for the extra groceries" the Uchiha of Team Seven turned his head away cheeks tinted pink at his mother's generosity and kindness.

Shisui chuckled under his breath and ruffled the almost teenagers hair, Naruto and Sakura earning a pat on the head as well before he body flickered off, leaving them to do whatever they wanted for the rest of the day which was spent leisurely.

A few weeks later Kakashi decided to give them a C Rank Mission "Ino's gone missing" Sakura choked when she read the mission scroll, it also said how long the girl had been gone a couple days and possible reasons as to why someone upsetting her.

"Yes Asuma and the remaining members of Team Ten have searched fruitlessly for their missing member but haven't come up with any information on her whereabouts" Hiruzen nodded seeing the panic laying just beneath the surface in Sakura.

If they didn't find Ino who was the girl's first friend really, Sakura was really going to quit on them and he couldn't let that happen under any circumstances "Great, let's just get to searching" Sasuke sighed really hating his life sometimes.

"We'll find her Sakura-chan I'm sure of it, right Kakashi-sensei" Naruto craned his neck around to meet his sensei's gaze while patting Sakura reassuringly on the back as they left the office already on the search for the missing Ino Yamanaka.

Her brain was whirring a mile a minute, thinking over every possible hiding place Ino had used over the last several years, Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as her mind locked on to one such hiding place that she hadn't been to since she was five.

By then they'd already been searching for a good couple hours and she opened her mouth "I think I know where Ino-chan might be Kakashi-sensei" the pinkette announced, sporting a determined look she had to find Ino no matter what or she was going to go berserk.

"Lead the way then Sakura-chan, the longer it takes to find Ino, the less we'll find her alive" Kakashi said in a firm tone missing when Sakura flinched at his harsh tone, the two boys on either side of her didn't though and knew what she was thinking.

Despite her reluctance to even consider him a partner in life Sasuke knew Sakura considered him at least a friend so that's why he wasn't afraid to grab her hand and squeeze it lightly "We'll find her" the Uchiha said in a confident tone of voice.

It wouldn't be like when nobody could find her parents, Ino would be found one way or another come hell or high water "Yeah she's probably just being stubborn is all you know how Ino is after all" the blonde haired Uzumaki rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Pulling a smile from his first friend, Kakashi peered at them discreetly "Come to think of it Sakura-chan you haven't really told me much about yourself, like who are your par….." the silver haired Jonin trailed off when Sasuke cleared his throat loudly.

Gesturing to the sign out list as Sakura had led them to the gates so the four of them signed out the lone girl leading the way down the path a bit and into the forest, jade eyes searching their surroundings intently for that one thing that would hopefully help her find Ino.

A few miles in her gaze honed in on that old hideout of her's it had been a safe haven from the bullies before she'd met Sasori and he'd told her she was going to be strong, stronger than anyone could ever hope to believe and she'd trusted him like an idiot.

But she went forward determinedly and fit herself through the tiny opening "Huh Sakura what are you doing here" and there Ino was perfectly fine, tears sprung into her eyes and she couldn't help it as she threw her arms around Ino and hugged her tightly.

"Never and I mean never scare me to death like this again Ino-chan I can't lose another important person understand" Sakura scolded harshly, Ino's face went ghostly pale as she realized how her vanishing act might have been taken by her best friend.

And she looked down extremely shame-faced "Sorry Sakura it..it's just I can't stand them, Choji is so annoying and he has to stop and eat all the time and Shikamaru never does anything to help so I feel like I'm the only one trying to make the team work" the Yamanaka Heiress ranted.

"Clearly your underestimating them Ino, they've been searching for you everywhere that's team dedication, you have to give them a chance okay otherwise the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho will be less than exemplary than the old generation" the rosette frowned deeply.

Ino slumped her shoulders "Maybe your right Sakura, this is just me throwing a childish tantrum, we're supposed to be ninja now which means being responsible and taking our duties seriously, but we're still kids to you know" Ino admitted quietly.

Jade eyes shined "Look Ino-chan I know how you feel, but running off doesn't just cause your team to worry but your other friends and parents, now go home Ino okay so everyone knows your okay" Sakura ordered firmly glad that nothing had happened to her best friend.

The blonde heiress nodded solemnly and crawled out of the bramble carefully followed by Sakura, and they were met with two very unimpressed Jonin "Honestly Ino I expected better of you" Asuma, her sensei scolded and Ino flinched.

"Hey Ino-chan understands that her actions were childish so please don't make her feel any worse than she already does, she promises to try harder from now on to right Ino-chan" the pinkette nudged her friend in the side with her elbow a stern frown on her face.

Ino nodded her head eagerly "That's right Asuma-sensei, I promise to do any punishment you set without complaint and I swear I won't get mad at Choji or Shikamaru anymore" the blonde heiress waved her hands fire burning in her eyes to not make Sakura worry ever again.

Asuma sighed but nodded relenting to the stare, "Girl's hearts are fragile no" Kakashi commented on their way back to the village, they'd traversed quite the distance it seemed just to find a missing clan child, Asuma rolled his eyes but nodded again.

"Quite, perhaps this will be a lesson to her, to never run off again like that and worry everyone under the moon and sun" the raven haired Jonin took a drag from his cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke as they walked calmly now that the fear was fading away.

Brown orbs settled on the pink haired girl of Kakashi's team "Were you talking about your girl to or was that just about every girl we've ever met in our lives" Asuma tilted his head at Sakura and Kakashi glanced to his female student wariness in his gaze.

"Oddly enough no, Sakura's a bit different, kind of reminds me of myself actually, they have good teamwork but it's almost like she's hesitant to truly get close with them, keeps her distance from me as well" the silver haired Jonin shook his head not really understanding anything about Sakura.

His sole female student was a conundrum that he wanted to figure out so things didn't repeat, Asuma frowned at this "And their always holding back on me, don't fully reveal what kind of strengths they have, all of them" Kakashi huffed under his breath in frustration.

Ahead of them were the genin "Kami never do that again Ino, be more aware of other people's feelings alright" Naruto snapped hotly, and the slightly older blonde nodded seriously in understanding, she knew Sakura had issues with people up and vanishing on her after all.

"Got it Naruto, though I don't think I'm ever going to do this again anyway despite you telling me not to" Ino grimaced, glancing to her best friend, who looked as if some of the weight had been lifted from her shoulders since she'd first crawled into that old hideout.

Off on the other side of Sakura was Sasuke "See everything turned out just fine" Sasuke said carefully, shooting a look at their sensei, who'd nearly said something taboo earlier, looks like he would have to run interference a bit if he wanted to keep the man off Sakura's back.

She nodded quietly "Yeah it did, thanks Sasuke, you to Naruto-kun" Sakura gave both boys an effortless smile just glad that nothing had really happened to her friend, she lost focus of her surroundings right then and ran smack into a tree.

"Well that hurt" the fuscia haired preteen blinked her eyes rapidly, her teammates stared down at her in surprise then both of them held out a hand to help her up, moments later she was stood on her feet again and feeling up her forehead where there was a small bump.

Though she didn't heal herself "Not going to Sakura-chan" the blonde Uzumaki whispered hinting at her healing abilities discreetly and Sakura shook her head, so she was still hiding all of her abilities from their sensei just like he and Sasuke were.

"Don't blame you, he hasn't really taught us anything beyond having us spar and we still don't know much about him either" the current Uchiha heir snorted, casting a furtive look over his shoulder at their oddball sensei, who'd been late every day since they'd become genin.

Ino frowned in confusion at the strange conversation "You know you guys are supposed to trust your sensei right" the Yamanaka Heiress pointed out, then again Sakura had been weird since that Sasori guy had started training, Naruto as well and then Sasuke got weird to.

Behind them "I see what you mean now Kakashi, definitely strange, hmm want to trade teams for a bit, see if you can't get my genin working as their suppose to and if I can't get yours to open up a little, I can get permission from Lord Hokage" the raven haired Jonin offered.

"Perhaps that's what they need to see I'm not some kind of big bad wolf, but after, this was to see if they could handle C Rank Missions, I've got another lined up for them in a week and I don't think a week is going to be enough to have them trust me" the Copy Cat Ninja sighed.

Relieved as they made it back to the village and signed in, on his command though Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke scattered when he released them for the rest of the day because he had a report to fill out and he didn't want to babysit genin for the duration of that.

They went home "Thank the kami that's over" Sakura huffed raising a glowing green hand to her head to heal the bruise that had formed having moved on to actually healing people since she'd been able to efficiently sync her chakra up to a fish's network.

"Agreed, I think Kakashi-sensei is plotting something though" Naruto piped in having heard the whispered conversation that the two Jonin had been having behind their backs, he hadn't heard it all of course, but he'd gotten the gist of it.

Sakura nodded as did Sasuke "We'll just have to be ready for whatever it is then" Sasuke snorted walking leisurely along the streets until they reached the almost empty Uchiha Compound, that night his mother wanted them to have dinner with her and the others so they did and afterwards they went to bed after a long emotional day.


	12. Chapter 11

Like he'd promised, a week later Kakashi requested another C Rank Mission for his students "Are you sure about this Kakashi-kun, they've only been genin for a month" Hiruzen frowned deeply, having a bad feeling about this mission all of a sudden.

"They'll do fine I'm sure of it, my genin while not having improved any in the month I've been their sensei, largely hold back on me so I know they can do it" Kakashi admitted, Hiruzen chuckled under his breath, he was sure it was payback on their part.

But when it came down to it, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura would pull through "Very well, C Rank escort mission to the Land of Waves, bring them to meet the mission client tomorrow" the Hokage stamped his approval for the mission and handed over the mission scroll.

Kakashi took it gratefully "I hope this is what they need to straighten up their acts and take their careers seriously" the silver haired Jonin sighed, hating that they didn't trust him in the least, it really bothered him actually and he still didn't know much about his female student either.

"Actually you know what Kakashi-kun, how about this mission instead, I witnessed your defeat after all and I think they'd benefit from it" Hiruzen whipped out another color coded scroll meant for C Rank Missions only and handed it over.

Not liking how he felt about the other C Rank Mission, a little put out that the Hokage was being finicky all of a sudden Kakashi took the new mission scroll and read it over "Have them act in an amateur movie" Kakashi read off in an incredulous tone.

Setting down the other mission scroll "Exactly, they each possess a level of acting, proven on the day you took them on as your official students, I was going to send a few Jonin on that Wave Mission anyway, because I feel as if the client didn't give us the whole truth" the Hokage said.

"Can't deny that, those little brats actually fooled me that day" the Copy Ninja grunted still frustrated over that fact, it was like these kids were born solely to drive him insane, and they still hadn't opened up to him.

It was like trying to pull teeth where those three were concerned "Well do you know which one you'll choose Kakashi-kun" Hiruzen prodded knowing that he couldn't keep the Jonin from choosing either of the missions.

Less than a second later the man had made his decision "I think a few weeks away will give them perspective, however I do have one thing to request, that you send someone else in my place" Kakashi announced returning the other scroll.

Perhaps if it was still available by the time they got back, he'd consider it as another mission for them "Asuma wasn't just joking then, you'll trade teams for the duration of this Escort mission and try to straighten each others teams out" the wizened old man blew out a puff of smoke.

The man across from him nodded "Precisely, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura refuse to open up to me, I'm kinda at my wits end with them" the silver haired ninja sighed, the Hokage couldn't blame him, nor could he blame those kids.

"Very well then, inform your students, I'll tell Asuma about his temporary command over Team Seven and he'll inform his students as well, tomorrow you'll all come here, where you'll meet the client and then those four will set off from the village" Hiruzen relented.

Kakashi nodded and prepared to head off to visit his students in their homes when he suddenly realized "Hokage-sama, seeing as I've never been invited to their homes do you know Sakura-chan's and Naruto-kun's address" Kakashi inquired.

Frustrated yet again while the Hokage chuckled under his breath "Here in the Uchiha Compound, Fugaku and Mikoto have guardianship over those two" the Hokage informed handing over the address of the members of Team Seven to their sensei.

Who took it with a long suffering sigh, as he scribbled a note and sent it off with a Chunin to be delivered to his son to inform Asuma of his temporary reassignment as Team Seven's sensei, during that time frame Kakashi finally headed off.

And in a plume of smoke appeared before a large house, he raised a silver brow at it, wondering why the Uchiha Clan Heads had guardianship over two of his students until it hit him, Naruto was an orphan he knew.

But then he remembered the way Sasuke and Naruto were always redirecting him away from a certain topic about Sakura's parents and he realized the girl was an orphan as well, it was with a heavy heart that he knocked on the door to his students house.

Only waiting for two minutes until Sasuke answered, he simply lifted a brow "What Kakashi, it is our day off remember" Sasuke grunted when the man that was his sensei didn't speak for over a minute simply continued to stare at him.

"Sakura-chan, her parents, their gone aren't they" the silver haired Jonin finally managed to say/ask now that said kunoichi wasn't within earshot, Sasuke inhaled sharply, shot a wary glance over his shoulder then stepped out of the house and shut the door behind him.

Leveling a cool glance at his sensei "The investigation is ongoing but the chances of them ever being found is unlikely, Sakura was….devastated at their disappearance" the Uchiha admitted, wincing as he finally opened up a little to the man.

Kakashi stood back taking a moment to digest the information he'd been given "How so Sasuke-kun, she seems so…unattached that it's easy to mistake her for not having feelings" Kakashi finally asked after another minute.

Sasuke cringed at the statement "Not so, she puts up a front to keep from getting hurt even more, you see the day before we met you, another important person to her left, so that's three people who have disappeared on her to probably never be seen again" Sasuke grimaced.

"Did Sakura-chan have an older brother Sasuke-kun" the Copycat Ninja prodded, pleased with the turn of events, though he was still going to have Asuma take temporary command of his students he was glad that at least one of his genin was opening up to him.

The preteen before him shook his head "He was kind of like her older brother, but no, he was our tutor, or rather hers and Naruto's originally throughout all our years at the academy, for seven years he was at her side teaching her, having had faith and now he's gone to" the raven sighed.

"You three had a private jonin tutor while you were academy students" Kakashi asked incredulously, wondering why the Hokage hadn't mentioned this to him at all and very shocked at the news and wondering how that had even come about in the first place.

A quick nod was his answer "Sakura was his original student, he taught her a full year before starting the academy, Naruto started being taught about six months after her if I remember correctly and I didn't start learning under him until after I was eight" Sasuke said.

"Which means all three of you have been largely holding back on me like I thought" the Jonin glared in exasperation at his student, frustrated and ready to tear his hair out but what surprised him the most was when Sasuke looked oddly guilty.

Somewhat apologetic as well "Mostly and we really just want you to take us seriously, now I get that your visit isn't a social one so what did you come here for, if I take much longer their going to get curious" the current heir of the Uchiha Clan questioned.

Raising his brow on his sensei "Right since you proved yourselves, I got you another C Rank Mission, pack for three weeks your going outside the village, meet at the Hokage Tower, this time tomorrow, also I won't be the one going along with you" Kakashi held out a note.

Earning a stare "If not you then who, we're barely beginning to trust you as it is Kakashi, having another Jonin in your place will not end well, Sakura will see it as you giving up on her/us" Sasuke hissed out, already not liking the thought of that very much.

"If you'd let me come in I can explain the details a little better" the silver haired male sighed, groaning inwardly over the fact that yes he did have a fragile-hearted female student, unlike how he'd originally assumed she was like him.

A moment later he was seated on a comfortable couch, his students before him "Today is our day off you know Kakashi-sensei" Naruto repeated Sasuke's earlier words unknowingly in confusion over what had prompted his sensei to visit them for the first time.

Sakura however had a quick mind "We're going on a mission soon aren't we sensei" Sakura questioned seriously, realizing this wasn't a social visit right away and he was grateful that she was so smart as he nodded.

"Precisely, tomorrow to be exact, another C Rank as promised, however I won't be accompanying you, there's another mission that requires my specific skill-set, so Asuma from Team Ten will be going along with you three just for this mission only" Kakashi quickly got out.

When he caught Sakura's expression turning into one of heart-break before it was hidden behind a guarded gaze "Okay, so how long will we be gone and what's the mission" the pinkette inquired, a little relieved that he wasn't simply giving up on them and merely had a different mission.

Grateful for that little insight from Sasuke, Kakashi managed to get through the rest of the explanation without upsetting his female student further "Escort Mission for a bridge builder to Land of Waves and approximately three weeks, depending on how long it takes" the Copy Ninja explained.

"Then that means we'll pack for an extra week just in case, anything else Kakashi-sensei, such as meet up time where do we meet Asuma-sensei and the like" the blonde that was his sensei's son asked straightening up his act a little to his sensei's surprise.

Because here he'd thought the boy was a straight up knuckleheaded goofball and then suddenly there was an analytical gleam in the boys ocean blue irises that shocked the hell out of him "Tomorrow, Hokage Tower, this time" Kakashi set down the missive.

"Right then, are you going to be seeing us off tomorrow or will we have to wait probably a month to see you again" Sakura asked avoiding his gaze when he raised a brow until he realized that she probably needed reassurance that he wasn't going to up and abandon his post as their sensei.

And so just because they were actually listening to him for once he decided to be a good sensei "I'll be seeing you off" the Jonin relented to the hopeful stare, though guarded and at his positive answer a happy sparkle glimmered in jades irises.

"Well that just leaves informing the Head Medic, Ibiki-sensei and Anko-sensei as well of our absences from the village tomorrow on for a few weeks" Naruto groaned realizing that the rest of their day was probably going to be spent preparing now that they'd been told about their mission.

Sakura giggled, it was probably the first time she'd ever done so in the presence of their sensei and Kakashi realized he'd massively misunderstood his students, the three were friends and Sakura trusted them more than anyone else at the moment.

Meanwhile Sasuke just shook his head at his teammates antics, though his gaze though subtle was largely focused on Sakura and Kakashi was reminded of their introductions as he realized who it was Sasuke wanted to revive the Uchiha Clan with.

"On that note you three, I'll be going now and I'll see you tomorrow at the gates when you head out on your mission" Kakashi stood, gave a two fingered salute and was gone in a plume of smoke, leaving the teammates to start preparing for the mission.

Which meant first informing their somewhat guardians "Leave telling my parents to me, I'll meet you down at the market afterwards so that we can get some stuff" Sasuke declared, and Naruto wanted to groan even more.

Until Sakura slanted a look at him "Guess I'll tell Anko-sensei, to the hospital first though cause that order sounds more logical" Naruto sighed, then suggested a proper order of telling their superiors of their absences.

The lone girl on their team nodded "Sounds good enough to me" Sakura smiled lightly, grabbing her wallet, filled with plenty of money, prompting Naruto and even Sasuke to do the same, before they tugged on their sandals and headed in two opposite directions.

Sasuke was the first to reach his destination "What brings you here Sasuke-chan, are Naruto-chan and Sakura-chan with you, I thought it was your day off and you were spending it together to do nothing in Naruto-chan's words" Mikoto was the first one he saw.

As he greeted her with a light smile "Probably would be still sitting around doing nothing if Kakashi hadn't come by to tell us we had a mission tomorrow and you know what Sakura's like, so we're going to be preparing for our mission for the rest of the day most likely" Sasuke grunted.

Not to put out, he knew preparing well would give them an advantage on the mission, not to mention Sasori would hit them over the head if he ever learned they hadn't prepared properly for their first outside the village mission, technically second if he counted last weeks C Rank mission.

Mikoto grimaced "Oh and what's your mission exactly" the Uchiha Matriarch narrowed her eyes on her youngest son and next head of the clan, having raised him to be proper after that incident and she should be thankful he was even coming to tell her about the mission at all.

"To escort a bridge builder and watch over him as he finishes a bridge in the Land of Waves, Kakashi said we'd be gone approximately three weeks or even longer, depending on how long it takes for him to finish, it's C Rank" Sasuke sighed.

Speaking loudly enough when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye indicating Fugaku had appeared to find out what he was doing home on his day off from missions and training "Be sure to pack and prepare appropriately then" Fugaku warned.

"You don't have to worry Father, Sakura will make sure we're over-prepared, I'm certain of it actually" the preteen scoffed, earning a snigger from Shisui and a ghost of a smile from his Father, while Mikoto simply shook her head slightly amused.

Though she thought it was to soon she simply turned "Well then you best be off Sasuke-chan, don't want to keep those two waiting do you" Shisui ushered the preteen off and Sasuke turned on his heel and vanished from the house, speeding through the empty compound.

And all the way to the market, meanwhile Sakura and Naruto had reached their first destination, the hospital "Just wait here Naruto, I'll only be gone for a few minutes" Sakura said when they stepped through the double doors into the hospital lobby.

Naruto nodded "Roger that Sakura-chan" the blonde flashed her a whiskered grin, watching her vanish deeper within the bowels of the hospital and seven minutes later return with an ecstatic smile and a triumphant gleam in her emerald orbs.

He wondered for a moment until she burst out in excitement unable to help herself "I just got permission to start healing outside the hospital setting, my skill in healing is limited sure but I can deal with headaches, light sprains, light bruises and cuts" the pinkette cheered.

Obviously happy at her progress "Whoa that's awesome Sakura-chan you know" Naruto clapped, excited for his friend as well as they made their way to their second destination Torture and Interrogation Headquarters.

Ibiki was less than pleased to learn about their mission outside the village for possibly a month "Fine but when you get back Haruno expect to do triple what you usually do to make up for it" the Anbu Commander growled.

The little genin brat not at all affected by his harsh tone not even the blonde brat looked bothered and Ibiki raised a brow at that, realizing there was more to the boy than even he'd thought since both the Uchiha and Uzumaki constantly complained and flapped their jaws to one another.

"Got it Ibiki-sensei, we'll see you in a month probably" the pinkette said not wanting to cast any illusions in case the mission took longer, watching in slight amusement as Naruto closed his eyes with a quiet groan and wandered over to where Anko was.

Even though she was right there and had heard just fine it appeared Naruto didn't want to leave without directly addressing his sensei at T&I "Me and Sasuke and Sakura-chan got a mission Anko-sensei and I swear we'll work triple no, quadruple the usual when we get back" the blonde declared.

Sakura fought down maniacal laughter that bubbled in her throat at the statement, "Better keep that promise Uzumaki or I'll have you and Uchiha cleaning out the T&I men's room for a month with toothbrushes" Anko hissed.

Laughing like a maniac herself while Naruto shuddered and nodded his head before the two of them left and finally met up with Sasuke in the market "First things first, we gotta make sure we have plenty of food supplies for the mission, cause I'm not going without ramen" Naruto said.

Both his teammates rolled their eyes at his ramen obsession but didn't argue "Very well but your not eating ramen the entire time we're gone understand, oh we should probably get a map and some books that detail the lay of the land" Sakura piped in.

Causing Sasuke to pull out a little notebook and start scribbling down their list of things to get "That way we aren't going in unprepared, maybe I can even send one of my summons to scout ahead" Sasuke offered.

Pleased that he even had a summons, poor Naruto was still without, even though Sasori had repeatedly assured the blonde that it would be after he became a genin that he would finally sign a creature summons contract.

"We'll probably have to sleep outside, so we'll need sleeping bags and things to keep us clean like moist towelettes or something to that effect and good idea, even Sakura could do that later tonight with Aimai-chan" the blonde suggested.

Blue eyes narrowed in thought as he tried to come up with other things to add or contribute to the conversation "Hmm, definitely a thought Naruto, Sasuke, now for what else, maybe new whetstones to sharpen our weapons on" the rosette added.

And the item was promptly added to the ever growing list "Let's not forget regular day to day supplies such as clean clothes enough to last us a month, we can stop by our usual shop" the raven on the team contributed himself even.

Scribbling that on the list as well as they headed for a food store and grabbed a cart, ramen was first on the agenda it seemed as Naruto grabbed at least four packs of packaged ramen of varying kinds of ramen, each with at least eight individual cups in each package enough to last him.

Imagine his surprise when Sasuke and Sakura snagged their own packages of ramen, just one, chicken flavor for Sakura and pork for Sasuke, he grinned but didn't say anything "Next is real food, vegetables and fruits, maybe even food pills" Sakura informed sternly.

Neither boy dared argue with her when she took that kind of tone with them "Should we stock up on nonperishable items and water as well Sakura" Sasuke asked, looking over the tomatoes, they were his favorite after all.

While Naruto stared at some peaches, probably debating on whether or not he wanted to get them "Yeah absolutely Sasuke" though at his question Naruto nodded his head at the same time Sakura did, in sync without even trying.

As they each knew the others thought processes very well due to how long they'd actually been together, so after getting the fruits and vegetables, they stocked up on plenty of water, nonperishable food items and even got some food pills.

To which they headed for the checkout and split the pay as evenly as possible between them since it was going to be for all of them anyway, their temporary sensei and client whoever he/she might be since they weren't going to meet the person until tomorrow.

Up next was a general supplies store "Nothing scented" the rosette warned as she grabbed scentless waterless two in one shampoo & conditioner, scentless moist towelettes, a package of extra toothbrushes, mint flavored toothpaste and an extra hairbrush for her mane of hair.

Sasuke and Naruto copied her as they then found sleeping bags, they got a couple extra just in case, two maps, a compass just to be extra thorough and some books detailing the lay of the land that was going to be their mission destination.

Before all that was bought similar to how they'd bought their food supplies, third on the list had them heading for weapons supply store to get a couple of whetstones each and lastly they stocked up on their usual style of clothing, a whole months worth of yukata and mesh.

Finally going home once they were finished with their shopping "Make sure to bring your fuinjutsu books Naruto, and Sakura bring your kit for concocting poisons and antidotes as an extra precaution" the raven of Team Seven announced.

The moment they stepped foot in their house and grabbed their empty mission packs "Understood Sasuke" the blonde saluted, dashing up the stairs with Sakura following him at a more sedate pace, leaving Sasuke alone in the living room until they returned.

Sakura was carrying extra things though such as a plethora of blank scrolls, her medical pouch filled to the brim with her medical tools, a scroll full of both poisonous and medicinal herbs within and her own fuinjutsu books.

Prompting them all to sit down on the floor surrounded by bags filled with their recent shopping venture "Pack the sleeping bags first, the extra's will go in a scroll that I'll carry in a side pocket on my pack" Sakura stated simply doing that and expecting her teammates to do the same.

In which they did, followed by Naruto drawing several storage seals on the blank scrolls Sakura had brought down "Next our food and water supplies, distribute what we got individually amongst ourselves and the rest will go in Sakura's pack" Sasuke declared next.

And the food and water was evenly split between them, the four packs of ramen in varying flavors, along with a bag of peaches going to Naruto, the pork ramen and tomatoes to Sasuke and the chicken ramen with a bag of apples to Sakura.

Each of them got three jugs of water and made sure to fill their canteens in preparation for tomorrow as well while the rest was sealed away in a fourth separate scroll to be used if needed, it was added to Sakura's pack along with the extra sleeping bag scroll.

The scrolls labeled with names or what was sealed inside so they didn't accidentally grab the wrong scroll "Good grief apparently what Sasuke said to Fugaku-sama about not worrying that you'd make them over-prepare was the truth Sakura-chan" Shisui chose that moment to appear.

Shaking his head at the amount of bags scattered around on the floor in the middle of the chaos were the genin "Stuff it Shisui-san, Sakura-chan didn't make us, we did this together of our own volition" Naruto scoffed with a roll of his blue eyes.

While simultaneously sealing away his supply of clean clothing, yukata, undergarments, an extra pair of sandals, mesh under clothes as well in his usual preferred style that Sasori had gotten them use to at the very beginning of their training under him.

Labeling the scroll as he did so before doing the same with his grooming supplies to keep himself refreshed in case they had to sleep outside, his fuinjutsu books filled the empty pockets and he added the new whetstone to his weapons pouch.

Shisui watching on curiously as the others did the same thing, leaving out very few things "A map, are you seriously going to study a map" the older Uchiha gaped, feeling exhausted over the genin's antics, perhaps Sasuke had understated things.

They were going overboard with their over-preparing and Sakura wasn't the only one in on it, both boys seemed to be as well "Of course we are Shisui-san, besides last week, we've never left the village for longer than a few hours" the fuscia haired preteen snorted.

Unimpressed with his own antics "Plus Sasori-sensei would skin us alive if we didn't…." the blonde huffed only realizing his mistake to late as Sakura's expression turned at the taboo name that hadn't been uttered once by any one in over a month.

In the next moment her eyes and face went eerily blank as Sakura continued to silently pack "Dobe" the younger Uchiha in the room scowled lightly, knowing that it wasn't anyone's fault really especially not Naruto's that Sakura couldn't stand to hear that name.

"Now, now Sakura-chan, you know you can't go the rest of your life avoiding hearing Akasuna's name don't you" Shisui grimaced trying to help a little in hopes that it would lighten the very tense atmosphere after the utterance of Sasori's name.

The girl heaved a sigh, shoulders slumping "I know Shisui-san but it hurts, I thought he'd be here to help me continue to get stronger, he promised that I'd be so strong, stronger than anybody could ever imagine" Sakura cried.

Raising her head a little to show off the tears in her jade irises, proving that Sasori's abandonment had deeply scarred the girl's heart further just as they'd all thought "Then we'll just have to find him someday and kick his ass together right Sakura" Sasuke chimed in with a smirk.

Causing her emerald orbs to widen "Just to prove how strong you/we got in his absence, that sounds better than moping right Sakura-chan" Naruto blurted, feeling giddy at the idea of a shared goal that all of them could get behind.

Her eyes shimmered with tears but after a moment Sakura nodded her head "Right together" the pinkette breathed, squaring her shoulders at the new goal that had been decided upon, while Shisui cringed knowing that, that particular goal wouldn't end well.

Especially when Sakura figured out who exactly her sensei of the last seven years really was, a rogue, a criminal one of the worst, even though he'd come to them and offered information, he'd still gone back to Akatsuki to continue his roll as double agent.

It would be a huge betrayal in Sakura's eyes who valued the people that were important to her and she probably wouldn't understand when or if she ever met Sasori again why he was acting that way after giving her affection in his own creepy way.

But could he tell her all that, no because it was forbidden so instead he cleared his throat "Well then I guess I'll let you kids get back to doing whatever" the older Uchiha saluted and was gone as nothing more than a sigh of the wind in the next moment.

Leaving the genin alone to finish making preparations for their mission and as suggested earlier one of Sasuke's hawk summons was sent ahead to scout "You can send Aimai later so the information gets back to us earlier" the ebony haired preteen commented.

As they sat seiza on the floor and studied one of the maps they'd bought, the spare in Sakura's pack just in case "So looks like we're looking at a good couple of days of travel, depending on how fast our client walks, we may have to slow way down" the blonde of the team said.

While simultaneously reading from one of the books that had been bought that detailed what they should expect when they arrived at their destination "If we're going by that, then possible three days of travel" Sakura added.

"Guess that sounds about right, though we have to take into consideration that our client might be use to physical exercise considering their building a bridge" Sasuke reminded, taking the book Naruto had only just sat down seeing as he was finished reading it for now.

The blonde nodded "That's right, could go either way really" Naruto shrugged, there was no point in arguing about how long it would take them after all, it was just supposed to be an easy C Rank mission where nothing should happen on it.

An hour later after exhausting themselves of everything they could think of to prepare themselves for their first outside the village mission, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura sat around doing nothing as previously planned before Kakashi had showed up to deliver his news of a new mission.

Being lazy as possible really and after dinner Sakura summoned Aimai "Do a little reckon with Umo, you should remember him Aimai-chan, find out what he's learned and deliver the information to me tomorrow night understood" the rosette instructed.

Pleased when the little bat nodded her head eagerly at the command "Aimai will do her best Sakura-sama, you'll see" the bat chirped, taking off into the night to meet up with Sasuke's hawk partway to their destination.

Which left them to head back into the house and lock up for the night "Night Sakura-chan, Sasuke" the Uzumaki yawned, plum exhausted from the day's events, who knew preparing things could be so tiring after all surely not him anyway.

"Make sure you set your alarm and goodnight to you both as well Sakura, Naruto" the Uchiha on the team grunted, feeling tired himself, but making sure to warn the knucklehead to set his alarm that way they could wake up and eat breakfast without having to rush.

Sakura giggled at their antics and disappeared down the hall that led to her separate room after bidding the boys goodnight of course, dressed for bed, set her alarm clock for five in the morning, slipped under the covers and went straight to sleep.

Only to wake hours later by her alarm blaring annoyingly in her ears, with a sigh she tapped the button to such the noisemaker off and after grabbing a clean yukata, headed into her private bathroom for a quick shower.

Then once she was dressed padded silently down the stairs to get started on breakfast, on her heels was Sasuke "He's showering" Sasuke explained Naruto's absence, having been awake a little earlier than planned so he'd already showered.

Eleven minutes later just as she was pulling some sausage from the oven Naruto skidded into the kitchen and sat at the table with Sasuke "What do you suppose our mission clients gonna be like" Naruto asked, curious but he knew neither of his teammates would be able to answer.

Case and point when Sasuke rolled his eyes and Sakura snorted "No idea Naruto, we'll just have to wait and see what their like when we meet them" Sakura said, making up the plates and twenty minutes later breakfast had been devoured.

So they cleaned up, headed out back for a bit to stretch and prepare themselves with light exercise and at the stated time, went back in, made sure all the traps were set to protect their house, grabbed their packs and headed down the streets of the compound to the rest of the village.

All the way to the Hokage Tower where their temporary sensei was waiting "How about that, this sensei's actually on time" the pinkette commented, pleased with the change of pace so far, not to say she didn't kind of miss Kakashi, she was glad that at least their temporary sensei was on time.

Hiruzen chuckled at the mumbled statement while Asuma merely looked somewhat amused "I take it you three already knew as my temporary assignment as your sensei for this mission" Asuma questioned, prompting the genin to straighten.

"Yeah Kakashi-sensei came and told us yesterday so we spent half the day preparing for this mission, hey where's the mission client, I thought they were supposed to be meeting us here like you were Asuma-sensei" the knuckleheaded blonde nodded only to realize one person was missing.

Asuma sighed "Not here yet we have to wait" the raven haired Jonin blew out a puff of smoke after taking a drag from his cigarette, he was curious though about Kakashi's genin as they stood ramrod straight to wait for their client to arrive.

Not a word of complain slipping from their mouths when their client made them wait an entire hour before showing up "Surely you could find someone better than these brats to escort me right Hokage, they all look useless to me, specially the short one with the stupid grin on his face" completely drunk might they add.

Sakura crinkled her nose at the disgusting smell of booze but kept her mouth shut while elbowing Naruto who immediately took offense to the insult at his shortness, though anything he might have said in response was promptly cut off at the pain in his side.

The Jonin temporarily in charge of them raised a brow in response "Ah Tazuna-san, I assure you despite their appearances these genin are among some of the best to graduate from the academy and have a high efficiency rate on missions" Hiruzen greeted.

Praising the genin of Team Seven while placating the mission client at the same time that despite what he thought, the genin were some of the best and probably the only ones that could handle whatever came their way on this mission that he still didn't feel right about.

Obviously Tazuna didn't want to be placated or hear their praises sung "In any case I'd like to get back to my family and village in one piece so I'm counting on you" the bridge builder grumbled to Asuma while taking another swig of the bottle in his hand.

With that statement Asuma turned on his heel "See you in a month or so Hokage-sama" Asuma declared opening the door and allowing the others to file out first before taking the lead again a moment later as they headed for the gates.

Where as he'd promised, Kakashi was waiting to see them off "You really came" Sasuke blinked in surprise because he'd though the Jonin was going to blow them off and be late, thus upsetting Sakura, though he was glad that wasn't the case this time for once.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the shock in Sasuke's voice "I did promise to see you three off and despite what you think I do know how to be on time sometimes, anyway good luck on your mission Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, I expect to hear good things when you get back" Kakashi chuckled.

Ruffling each of his students hair as they all signed out, his gaze met Asuma's and they both nodded to one another before he and the genin of Team Seven along with their mission client were gone down the path leading away from the village.

~A few hours later~

Asuma was a little surprised at how little the kids had spoken since they'd left the village, keeping on the alert as they gazed around, watching out for anything suspicious "You do know that this is a C Rank Mission right, nothings going to happen" the Jonin pointed out.

Prompting them to focus their attention on him "Something always happens, one can never be to certain after all, there are to many variables" the lone girl on the mission informed, green eyes scanning ahead of them as she spoke before glancing off to the side again.

"Sakura-chan's right, anything that can happen will happen, no one can predict the future" the blonde nodded in agreement with his teammate as he kept his gaze firmly fixed to the right not allowing for anything to escape his intense watch over their surroundings.

Meanwhile Sasuke was lookout for anything coming up behind them "Exactly" the Uchiha grunted, Asuma blinked and finally understood how Kakashi felt, these kids weren't of the norm, they didn't act like fresh out of the academy genin usually did.

They were to analytical if he had to call them something "Nonsensical little brats aren't you, take a load off why don't ya and relax, anyway my feet hurt so I think I'm ready for a break what do you say Asuma-san" Tazuna grimaced.

Feeling dread pool in the pit of his stomach while trying to act as nonchalant as possible "Okay then guess it's time for a break you three start prep…" Asuma sighed having hoped to get a little more distance in before they took a break.

Though when he turned to command the genin to start setting up a temporary camp they were already doing so without prompt, again there was that feeling they weren't normal fresh out of the academy genin as they simply pulled out a scroll and speared a variety of vegetables on sticks.

After unsealing it of course while doling out water at the same time "Don't look so surprised Asuma, we told you we prepared half the day yesterday for this mission" Sasuke reminded, sorely tempted to roll his eyes at the Jonin's shock at their stock of food supplies.

"Probably went a little overboard though but this is our first extended mission outside the village to an entirely different village, we wanted to be ready for anything believe it" Naruto chimed in as he scanned their surroundings for the millionth time.

Until Sakura called their early lunch done "Grab a stick guys, Asuma-sensei and Tazuna-san first" Sakura warned when the boys on either side of her made a mad grab for several sticks, impatient even though Sasuke would never admit that he would get impatient like their knuckleheaded teammate.

Once both Asuma and Tazuna had three sticks to themselves, Sakura hastily grabbed two of her own leaving the last of their meal to the boys, they quickly ate and fifteen minutes later camp was broken down and the five of them were on their way to the Land of Waves again.

~Much later on, that night to be precise~

Having made good distance Asuma called for a final break not even needing to say anything "Once you eat, we'll decide on who takes what shift of watch, each of us will take turns understand" the brown eyed Jonin said in a tone that told them there would be no complaining.

Not that he had to really worry any, the kids hadn't made a peep of complaint since setting out "Can it be in pairs instead of individual shifts" the blonde knucklehead asked, not wanting to be up for a few hours during the night all on his lonesome without anyone to talk to.

Fortunately that's what Asuma already planned on doing, unfortunately though he got stuck with first shift and his partner was Sasuke "Great pair me with the chatterbox why don't ya" the ebony haired preteen groaned while biting in to a roasted carrot.

Sakura rolled her eyes at their antics, throwing Asuma off a bit at their normal interactions, they'd gone all day hardly speaking and now suddenly they were acting like regular genin should it was simply put disconcerting if he was being honest.

"Can you three be any less normal" the bridge builder grumbled, irritated that he kept getting confused no doubt over the genin that were helping to escort him home, with that he finished off dinner, unrolled his bedroll and laid down to get some sleep.

Missing the annoyed glare shot his way "We are normal whose to say everyone else isn't" the fuscia haired girl scoffed, polishing off her own stick of deer meat, they'd had it on sale down in the market so had bought the package of stripped venison to have along on the mission.

It was after that, that she unrolled her own sleeping bag and crawled into it to get some shut eye at least until it was her turn to keep watch anyway and when it was, with it brought the news of something very troubling.

As Aimai returned "There be a very bad man lying in wait for you arrival Sakura-sama" the little bat informed seriously to Asuma's surprise because he didn't even know the girl had a summons, and he didn't think Kakashi knew his female student had a summons either.

"What do you mean a very bad man" Asuma questioned, startling the little female bat who hadn't thought anyone else would be awake except her summoner probably, and seeing as how the bat had only been focused on Sakura hadn't even noticed he was sitting up awake either.

Though the bat did turn in his direction after getting a nod from Sakura "By the name of Zabuza Momochi, two of his subordinates lie in wait for you ahead, they plan to attack tomorrow from a puddle" Aimai explained.

Asuma choked on his cigarette smoke at that "Zabuza Momochi what in bloody blazes is he waiting for us for….unless Tazuna-san was lying about the mission rank Asuma-sensei" Sakura cursed, only to realize in the next moment.

That the only reason the bridge would request a shinobi escort was if he knew more than bandits were going to be after him "You might be right Sakura, the only thing we can do for now though is keep an eye out and find out if their really after him" the Jonin sighed.

Sakura nodded reluctantly, gave her bat summons a reward for bringing back vital information then kept watch with Asuma for another hour before laying back down to get a little more shut eye at the Jonin's insistence.

When they woke Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna were none the wiser of the confrontation heading their way as they finished up breakfast and started off down the path in hopes of getting to Tazuna's home village but Sakura knew and Asuma knew somehow that he could count on her to keep anyone from getting truly hurt.


	13. Chapter 12

**~Authors Note**

 **Hello again, back with another chapter of Puppet Sensei, seems after nearly two months of absence this is the story my brain decided to work, so here you go, enjoy a jam pack adventure filled chapter, with plenty of twists on the usual Zabuza confrontation and Land of the Waves Arc**

 **End Authors Note~**

* * *

Four hours later, after stopping for a quick break, a puddle appeared before their eyes, on the path just as Aimai had warned and within were two chakra signatures, Sakura went rigid only relaxing when Asuma shot her a look.

Though her reaction tipped off the boys on either side of her as one subtly inched their way towards Tazuna "Hmm what's that puddle doing there" Naruto questioned, playing on his naivety as was expected of a genin as they continued walking towards it.

"Dunno Naruto, it's weird though cause I don't remember it raining last night, maybe someone decided the ground needed a drink, I mean look at the rest of the path, it's all dry and cracked" Sakura giggled, ignoring the disturbed look she was getting from Tazuna.

While Asuma found it hard not to laugh, he had to admit the kids were good actors as Sasuke rolled his eyes "Could you be anymore oblivious, only an idiot would believe that Sakura" Sasuke scoffed feigning being unimpressed.

Even though he really wanted to crack up laughing himself "Whatever you brats, see this is why I didn't want them on the mission their utterly useless" Tazuna scowled, more than a little disturbed by the way the genin were acting all of a sudden.

"Now, now regardless they were assigned as part of your escort and despite that I happen to think they are very capable of handling this mission and any surprises it may have in store" Asuma said, tipping Naruto and Sasuke off even further.

As their suspicions were confirmed, they were about to be ambushed "Of course we can Asuma-sensei, no matter what Kakashi-sensei told you about us, we do know how to take things seriously when the mission calls for it" the rosette huffed.

Finally acting her age, even if it was an act "Your forgetting we have the Dobe on our team, he wouldn't know how to act serious even if it bit him squarely on the nose" the Uchiha of Team Seven scowled.

Prompting a reaction from Naruto "Hey stupid Teme, I'm not that bad anymore" the blonde snapped, fake arguing to Asuma's continued amusement while Sakura shifted a little readying herself for what was about to happen now that they'd passed the oddly placed puddle.

"Good grief no wonder Kakashi practically begged me to be your sensei for this mission" the Jonin temporary in charge of them even participated a little in the argument, winking at Sakura as he lagged behind also getting ready for the ambush.

Tazuna however was at his boiling point "Kami you stupid brats are you trying to get me killed with your loudness, you were so quiet yesterday" the gray haired elder grumbled not happy in the least with their antics.

Just as chains wrapped around Asuma and Naruto faked screamed, having seen the two unknown ninja coming up from behind their temporary sensei "ASUMA-SENSEI NO" Naruto shouted in fake horror, which seemed entirely to real if they were being honest.

He was good they'd give him that much as Asuma was ripped to itty bitty shreds, with a quick glance from Sakura who realized what actually got shredded she whipped out a kunai "DUCK Naruto" Sakura commanded.

Naruto didn't hesitate even a second as a kunai whizzed over his head in that next moment, stopping the enemy in his tracks, quickly he pulled out a scroll and after unrolling it set it on the ground in the nick of time as he made a hand sign.

Immobilizing the enemy with fuinjutsu, Sakura charged in fast and the first enemy went down after being punch and sent flying into a tree, they both turned in unison as the second enemy was taken out by Sasuke "Care to tell me why we were attacked" Sasuke grunted.

Tying both enemy nin to a tree, fingers separated so they couldn't make hand signs "Yes care to tell us Tazuna-san, seeing as those two were after you" Asuma made his reappearance, in perfect condition to their clients relief.

Seeing as he was the only one who hadn't known his disappearance had been faked to scope out the situation while the genin as he'd thought handled themselves spectacularly "Dobe your hurt" the ebony haired preteen realized as Asuma took Tazuna a distance away for an interrogation.

Naruto blinked in realization "I didn't even feel it, can you heal me Sakura-chan" the blonde turned to the medic of the team but Sakura's expression wasn't very reassuring as she went over to inspect the claws that the two enemy ninja were wearing.

Before returning to their sides "Listen to me very carefully Naruto, don't move another inch understood, I need you to sit down, there was poison on those claws and it's already entered your bloodstream, don't panic, just sit alright, I can whip up an antidote" the pinkette said seriously.

Dropping her pack, expecting Naruto to follow her order and he did, Sasuke watching with intense coal eyes as a little blood was drawn from the blonde and he was grateful he had fire nature chakra as it took less time than usual for the water needed to boil.

Leaving Sakura to grind up some herbs "Everything alright" the raven haired Jonin returned to a tense atmosphere and Sakura concocting something with a portable burner in a beaker of water, Tazuna looked curious himself.

"Knuckleheads poisoned, their claws had poison on them, so Sakura's making an antidote to the poison in his bloodstream" Sasuke explained not taking his eyes off his teammates, guard raised and wary of what else might happen on this mission.

Tazuna let out a gasp of horror "Poisoned, oh god I'm so sorry I never meant for this to happen or for you kids to be in danger like that" Tazuna apologized, pale as a ghost, not that he had to worry because in the next moment the antidote was finished.

And Naruto, though he wasn't fond of the idea drank the liquid while Sakura healed the scratch left behind "There good as new" Sakura smiled brightly as she turned and began packing away her things that had been used.

"Bleh that was nasty Sakura-chan, my tongues gonna have the disgusting flavor on it for hours Believe It" Naruto complained at long last, wiggling his tongue as he did so as the antidote left a gross aftertaste left in his mouth.

Sakura let out peals of laughter at that, unable to contain herself in the aftermath of their first real fight with enemy shinobi, rifled around in her storage pouch for a moment and emerged with a tin that she popped open and held out a familiar item.

Mint candy, Naruto took it gratefully before they all three turned to face Asuma "Now what, obviously he lied about the mission rank so the logical choice would be to turn around and go home" the Uchiha of Team Seven commented.

Glaring at Tazuna who gulped "Logical choice indeed, but we've already started this mission and who knows what could happen to Tazuna's family if we turned around and went back to Leaf" the raven haired Jonin said.

Prompting the genin to grimace, they knew all to well the pain of losing family and wouldn't wish that on even the worst of their enemies "So we continue the mission, before we do though is there anything else laying in wait for us Sakura-chan" the blonde sighed.

Just a tad bit reluctant still because he didn't want to be unprepared in case of another ambush "Another rogue by the name of Zabuza Momochi, Sakura's summons returned with that information last night during our last watch" Asuma admitted.

Leaving Sakura to nod "What do you mean by summons" the gray haired elder asked curiously, in awe that despite how terrible things might get for them, the shinobi were still willing to escort him home and protect him and such.

"Bats, I signed a contract with them when I was ten, Sasuke also has summons, Hawks to be precise" the fuscia haired girl explained, seeing little point in keeping secrets now that Asuma had seen what they could do.

Though what else her bats were capable of she didn't say because she didn't want to scare their client even if he did deserve it for endangering them on what was supposed to be an easy C Rank Escort mission to another land.

Asuma rubbed his chin in thought "Right, thanks for telling me Sakura, in any case Tazuna I think you need to explain why rogues would be after you in the first place no offense but if we're going to continue the mission, we need all the information we can get" the Jonin prodded.

Facing their mission client with a sharp look in his eyes "Gato, he's a business shark tycoon whose trying to take over and ruin my village, I'm building the bridge so we'll finally be free of him and he wants to stop me at all costs which includes killing me" Tazuna sighed.

"You don't mean the Gato, of Gato Corps do you, kami this is a nightmare" Asuma groaned realizing what he was getting them into by furthering the mission, but with what he'd said earlier in mind the five of them began down the path yet again.

Sakura shot a look at her teammates, who kept close to Tazuna and hurried forward to walk even with their temporary sensei "There might be a way to take out Gato without anybody having to get hurt Asuma-sensei" Sakura began.

Casting wary looks over her shoulder as she did so, Asuma lifted an ebony brow at her in response, "How so, Zabuza Momochi's no push over and if we do manage to escape from him, we still have to worry about any thugs Gato might send" the raven haired male reminded.

It seemed though Sakura was full of surprises "My bat summons, there's more to them than just simply sending messages or having them do recon, their hairy legged vampire bats and quite vicious, they tear the skin off their prey with their teeth, and drink blood" the pinkette announced.

Voice in a low whisper "And anyone in Gato's employ wouldn't stand a chance against them, good thinking Sakura, but are you sure you'll be able to handle such a thing, that will be technically considered your first kill" Asuma frowned.

Not sure he wanted to leave such a grisly task to such a young girl, fresh out of the academy genin kunoichi despite how out of the norm she and her teammates were "We're shinobi, we endure, if it's the only way, then I'll do it" Sakura shrugged.

Proving how different she was in that moment despite his reservations, with a nod of his head, she slowed until she was stood with her teammates again, allowing Tazuna to walk more towards the middle so he was protected.

"What was that all about Sakura" Sasuke questioned immediately, wondering what was so important that Sakura had, had to speak with their temporary sensei alone for over seven minutes, not that he was counting anyway.

She rolled her eyes and looked at Tazuna who turned his head forward real quick as he was caught trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, in the next second a sound proofing seal was activated "Okay you can talk now Sakura-chan" Naruto said.

Earning a small smile "My bat summons are gonna take out Gato, if I'm right the rogue is in his employ to kill our client, so without Gato, the rogue won't have any reason to go after Tazuna" the pinkette informed bluntly.

Making the boys flinch slightly in response "Creepy, but well it's what we have to do I suppose, these guys are bad I doubt anyone would miss them" the ebony haired preteen grimaced, having known the world wasn't all rainbows and sunshine after the massacre anyway.

Naruto cringed "You sure are scary sometimes Sakura-chan, oh but wait, this guy Gato's like super rich right, what if afterwards we go and find his money and give it to the village to help fund it and the rest of this mission since it's higher in rank" the blonde perked up in the next minute.

Definitely a thought so the seal was deactivated and Sakura marched forward to walk at Asuma's side again, he raised a brow waiting patiently for whatever it was she had to say now "This Gato is really rich right, what's going to happen to his money" Sakura asked.

Obviously smarter than the average genin and he felt being one was a waste of time for the girl and her teammates "Hmm good question, perhaps we'll turn some of it over to Tazuna's village, use some of it to fund the rest of this sudden A Rank Mission and the rest I don't know" Asuma mused.

Kakashi had definitely underestimated his genin that was for sure "Perhaps a reward for you three for doing so well and if you tell me what else you've got up your sleeves" the Jonin offered as incentive and Sakura grinned at him in response.

"Sasuke…send Umo to scout ahead, find out exactly where our next road block is laying in wait for us" the rosette barked suddenly and Sasuke snapped to immediately as he flashed through a set of hand signs and with a quick order Umo was off.

Flying ahead of them to do as commanded as they pulled to a stop to take a break, Sakura pulled out a map when the vegetables were being roasted over the fire Sasuke had started with his fire jutsu "Okay what now" Naruto questioned.

Being just as serious as the others were being and Tazuna sulked that he was practically being ignored "Now we wait a little bit knucklehead" Sasuke snorted, watching their food cook while Sakura scoured the map for possible places an enemy ambush could be set up.

"You know I thought you kids were supposed to be genin, naive little brats who know nothing of the outside world, but your almost as analytical as that Jonin guy there, what gives, how exactly are they teaching you in that academy of yours" Tazuna frowned deeply.

Not wanting to be ignored any longer "We are genin Tazuna-san, but the way we are has nothing to do with how the academy taught us, more like how our private Jonin sensei taught us throughout our years at the academy" Sakura huffed.

Miffed and feeling as if her intelligence had just been insulted somehow "Private Jonin sensei, you mean you three had a tutor during your academy years" Asuma choked, wondering who could have privately instructed the kids.

He was about to get his answer though when both boys on the team nodded "Yeah his name was Sasori Akasuna, he taught Sakura from the time she was five, Naruto joined six months after her and I started learning under him after the Uchiha Massacre" the preteen Uchiha informed.

Asuma grimaced in response while Sakura scowled "And we're going to kick his ass if we ever see him again for the hurt he's inflicted upon Sakura-chan for leaving her Believe It" the blonde knucklehead declared loudly.

Only to slap his hands over his mouth in the next moment causing Sakura to giggle "We're safe for now Naruto so it's okay, the enemy is across the water, but I don't see any other way to get around a confrontation with Zabuza, Asuma-sensei" the fuscia haired preteen sighed.

Rolling her map up as she did so and stowing it in her pack, Asuma took a drag from his cigarette thinking over no doubt countless scenarios "Then a confrontation will be had, he needs to see we're not pushovers ourselves before Gato's taken out" the Jonin sighed.

Blowing out a puff of smoke as he did so "Guess we're going to have to come up with some battle strategies then huh Sakura-chan, Sasuke" Naruto faced his teammates as their food finished cooking and they all grabbed a couple of sticks each.

"Your seriously going to let them fight Asuma, their kids no matter how weird they are" the bridge builder gaped when the genin immersed themselves in strategies, arguing quietly amongst themselves about what would, what wouldn't, what could and what couldn't work, based on who their enemy was.

The Jonin shot him a grim smile "Far be it for me to keep them out of the fight, especially with their advanced abilities" Asuma stated simply as he focused his gaze on the kids, he was slightly amused though at their seriousness.

As they debated "No, use your brain knucklehead, this guy is a rogue from the Hidden Mist Village, wields a giant sword called Kubikiribocho, has an affinity for the silent kill technique and might have other subordinates to back him up" Sasuke grunted.

When Naruto suggested something unrealistic, it happened sometimes "Just how the hell do you know that sort of information" Tazuna grimaced, wondering where the kids were getting their information from.

Until Sakura raised a very familiar book to at least Asuma anyway "Bingo Book, Zabuza Momochi, a.k.a the Demon of the Hidden Mist Village, wielder of the Executioners Blade, favorite method of killing, Hidden Mist Jutsu and the silent kill technique" Sakura read off.

Going on to list physical appearance, even personality, he was a A Rank Classified rogue to top it all off "Any further questions Tazuna-san" the pinkette deadpanned, unimpressed with the elder and impatient to return to strategizing.

"None, carry on Sakura" the gray haired elder shook his head, not wanting to hear what else the man Zabuza Momochi was capable of, a shudder rolled through him at the information he'd been given about his would be murderer.

At his dismissal Sakura turned to her teammates again "What's the biggest Futon jutsu you learned Naruto, just in case he uses the Hidden Mist Jutsu you can blow it away with your wind style jutsu, and with your larger chakra reserves you can do that more than once" Sakura asked.

Naruto blinked before a whiskered grin spread across his face "Multi-layered Gale Jutsu and I can make a tag that will enhance the jutsu just in case as well, could give us a head start to get away in case he proves to be to strong of an opponent" the Uzumaki bounced excitedly.

Blue eyes glinting with mischief and intelligence making for an interesting mix in the young boy who was the Fourth Hokage's son "As much as it pains me to suggest this Sakura, I think you should be the one to protect Tazuna, you're the one who'd be deemed non-threatening" the Uchiha said grimaced.

Knowing that Sakura hated to be underestimated, fortunately this time though Sakura seemed to understand and even agree with him that it was probably for the best "That's not to say I'll be completely useless though" the fuscia haired girl snickered.

Thinking about her arsenal of weapons, metal bow with arrows, puppets, battle fans, kunai, shuriken, throwing needles, ear dagger, hair pin for illusions and the like, nobody, not even Zabuza would expect for her to be as armed as she currently was with weapons.

Speaking of her hair pin, it was promptly unsealed from her personal effects scroll and pinned in her hair, Sasuke struggled not to laugh because now Sakura truly looked like a completely innocent naive girl who didn't take being a shinobi seriously.

What with her extremely ridiculously long hair, fair skin complexion, manner of dress, though they all wore the same style of outfit, hers enhanced her features more than it enhanced his or Naruto's, her appearance screamed innocent and non-threatening to every rogue and their dog.

"Dare I ask why you decided to wear a hair ornament Sakura" the raven haired Jonin sighed, curious but confused seeing as he didn't see the point of wearing something so girly, even if it was to further their act as innocent fresh out of the academy genin.

Her answering smile had Tazuna on edge "Of course Asuma-sensei, sealed within this hair ornament is a genjutsu, hell-viewing to be precise and it's very potent, it's unassuming so an enemy wouldn't think much about it being a weapon but it is, very much so" Sakura said.

Emerald orbs glittering with a dangerous glint in their depths "Very well then, what else have you three managed to come up with" Asuma waved his hand, wanting to hear the other strategies the kids had thought up while they were waiting for Umo the hawk to return.

"There's the decoy strategy, just one of many that we came up with, Naruto makes a shadow clone which transforms into Tazuna, offer it as a bargaining chip and placed inside is a genjutsu that when taken out makes the enemy believe he offed the real Tazuna" Sasuke informed.

"Meanwhile the real old man Tazuna is hidden under a camouflage seal or sealed inside one of Sakura-chan's storage scrolls, since its possible to seal people inside of them and not just weapons, food items or clothing items" Naruto chimed in oh so helpfully.

Asuma inhaled and exhaled thinking over the plan before gesturing for them to continue "We could do what we did to Kakashi-sensei, during the bell test, unseal the genjutsu in my hair ornament and knock Zabuza out with my knockout gas" the rosette snickered.

Prompting the Jonin to choke on a laugh "Again could you kids be any less normal" Tazuna grumbled, very disturbed with the turn of events and as luck would have it, the summons that had been sent ahead was finally returning.

Umo swooped down and settled on Sasuke's held out arm "Straight across the ocean the enemy lies in wait, there are no other routes that I could see and he has a partner with him" Umo informed, making the situation even more dangerous.

With that he poofed out of existence going back to where he was summoned from "How strong is your knockout gas Sakura" Asuma questioned already formulating a proper plan based on the strategies thought up by the genin.

Who were definitely smarter than just graduated academy students "Potent, could be stronger though" Sakura admitted, a glint in her green eyes as he gestured for her to get to work, concocting things was after all the one thing Sasori had, had her hone tirelessly.

"Does this mean we're going to avoid fighting Momochi as much as possible" the raven of Team Seven questioned, watching Sakura pull out all her concocting materials, it always was something whenever she got in the mood for this sort of thing.

As herbs of all kinds were unsealed and a little metal tray was as well "Indeed, our main priority is Gato and once he and his hired thugs are gone, Zabuza will have no further reason to stick around" the Jonin nodded, hoping that was the case anyway.

Curious as all sorts of herbs were ground up "Frightening isn't she" the blonde haired Uzumaki shuddered, especially as Sakura began humming softly under her breath, obviously finding her current task rather enjoyable.

Sakura giggled though at his comment but continued to work until she had an improved sedative, with a little extra might she add, some poisonous herbs that would disable Zabuza for a little while until after Gato was taken out.

Hopefully his unexpected partner didn't know how to craft antidotes "And done" the pinkette declared once it was in smoke bomb casings, just glad that they'd thought to bring along such things in case of emergencies.

"Uh-huh and what's that going to do beyond knock him out, whose to say he won't come after me once he wakes up" the bridge builder was clearly at his breaking point, even though this whole thing was his fault for lying about the mission rank.

At that though Sakura whipped around mouth open to lay into the man when Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder "It'll do more than that, attack his nervous system, induce fever and hallucinations and keep him weak for awhile" Sasuke intoned grimly.

Having seen what other herbs Sakura had added to her knockout gas "That's why I said she was frightening" Naruto shuddered once again as Sakura cleaned up her equipment and sealed it all away in it's designated scroll again.

While their temporary sensei groaned "You mixed poisonous herbs into the knockout gas, I pity the man who pisses you off whenever you fall in love" Asuma shook his head, letting out a sound that was a half chuckle half sigh before straightening.

Leveling a glance at Tazuna whose jaw was practically on the ground at the admission "Mhm and finding the herbs to craft an antidote in this area is nigh impossible, so unless he has the herbs necessary to counteract the poison, he's tough out of luck" Sakura grinned widely.

"Right guess that's, that then we should probably get a move on" Tazuna sighed unsure of what he was thinking asking for a shinobi escort, even the genin could be positively ruthless as he'd learned in the past couple of days.

Thankfully Asuma nodded and as a whole they headed for the boat that was going to take them across the ocean "You know what to do right, Sasuke's lookout, Naruto, your job is to use a wind jutsu to help the gas dissipate after use and Sakura, the genjutsu's on you" the Third's son said.

Giving each of the genin a task, his job would be to protect Tazuna for now just in case the plan failed "Got it Asuma-sensei, I'll blow that gas right away with my wind style jutsu believe it" the blonde nodded.

Sasuke rolled his eyes "Try not to get to excited knucklehead, this Zabuza, he's a Jonin like Asuma is and way out of our leagues" the raven haired preteen snorted, Naruto huffed but did nod and settle down somewhat.

"Don't worry Asuma-sensei, things will be fine I'm sure" the pinkette smiled, seeing Asuma's uneasy expression and the concern deep within his brown eyes, the corner of his lip lifted in response but the five of them fell silent.

None of them spoke on the trip across and soon enough they were on land again after traveling through the mist, which meant it was time for another staged scene as Naruto darted forward "Can't beat me stupid Teme" Naruto shouted loudly.

Acting the part of naive genin once again as he peered around with a guarded gaze, the bushes to the right of him rattled and a kunai went whizzing through the air "NARUTO, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING" Sakura screeched.

Marching forward to whack Naruto over the head, inwardly promising to heal him of the bump after the confrontation was over as he fell, holding his aching cranium, "Kami you two have a little tact, what if there's an enemy waiting to ambush us" Sasuke stalked towards them.

Scowling realistically "You know as well as I do Sasuke that there's not gonna be an enemy, this is just a standard C Rank escort mission" the rosette glowered, turning on her teammate in the next moment with a roll of her eyes.

"Asuma-sensei, Sakura-chan hit me did you see" the blonde whined, fake sniffling as the hit hadn't hurt all that much, Sakura had held back quite a bit and he was sure she would make it up to him later once they were out of danger.

The man in question kept his expression as neutral as possible, even though there was a glimmer of amusement in his brown eyes at their antics "Now, now, Sakura apologize for hitting your teammate" the ebony haired Jonin ordered in a laid back tone.

Prompting the girl to do as commanded even if she faked reluctance before sending Naruto after his recklessly thrown kunai "The hell are you trying to do anyway give me a heart attack or something" the gray haired elder grumbled.

He had to hand it to those kids though, they were good at acting "Dobe, going off half-cocked as usual, at this rate you'll always be stuck as a hopeless little loser" the Uchiha taunted next as they all got into their pre-planned places.

In the nick of time might he add because just as Naruto was opening his mouth to insult him back "EVERYONE GET DOWN NOW" Asuma shouted that line, lunging towards the ground, bringing Tazuna down with him.

Sakura dropped automatically being the furthest away from anyone and Sasuke tackled Naruto as the Executioners Blade flew over their heads and embedded itself in a tree, and immediately after Zabuza Momochi was stood before them.

"Not bad, I didn't think anyone was paying attention, then again you are the Third Hokage's son Asuma Sarutobi, and a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja" Zabuza spoke in a harsh, growling voice, KI oozing from his every pore.

While the group slowly rose to their feet and dusted their clothes off "HEY WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, YOU COULD HAVE KILLED US WITH THAT THING" Sakura yelled in fake outrage, shaking a finger at the sword Zabuza was stood on.

Nonexistent brows rose "And your naive girly, you look less like a ninja and more like a spoiled brat from a civilian household" the rogue spat and Sakura flinched back putting on one hell of a show that was for sure.

"Wait your old man Hokage's son, how the heck did we not know that already" Naruto directed the conversation to something entirely unrelated to the current situation and Sakura wanted to slap him upside the head.

But kept her place so the plan didn't fail on them "Stuck with useless genin brats I see, shall I rid you of them" Zabuza offered, and a shudder crawled down their spines, or rather down Tazuna's spine seeing as he was the only one really effected by the killing intent bearing down on them.

"Unfortunately their not really my genin, I'm simply temporarily in charge of them for this mission so no, their real sensei would have a fit if something happened to them" the Third Hokage's son said, blowing out a puff of smoke as he did so, pleased with how well the kids were managing themselves.

Zabuza scoffed "Pity, hand over the old man and I might think about letting the rest of you go" the demon of the Hidden Mist Village demanded, readying himself to attack should the Leaf Shinobi refuse, unaware that he'd already been beaten.

Outsmarted by the very girl he'd insulted earlier as Asuma shook his head "I'm afraid I can't do that, he's the mission client and we're obligated to protect him" Asuma informed seriously, pulling out his trench knives as he did so.

Meeting Sakura's gaze who nodded subtly in response just as Zabuza made his move "Guess I'll have to kill you all then" Zabuza growled, pulling his sword free from the tree and disappearing, right behind Tazuna.

The rogue was unprepared however for the onslaught of nightmarish illusions that assaulted his mind immediately after his reappearance as Sakura unsealed her genjutsu from the hair ornament and threw down the smoke bomb that held her concoction in it.

"Naruto, the jutsu now" Sasuke demanded as Asuma dragged Tazuna out of the way, avoiding inhaling any of the gas right as Zabuza broke free of the hellish genjutsu and breathed in sharply only realizing his mistake to late as he flopped lifelessly on the ground.

Hidden in the shadows his apprentice watched in trepidation as the four shinobi and Tazuna skedaddled as quick as they possibly could after the gas had been blown away, leaving him to appear at his master's side and take him to the hideout to tend to the man.

Meanwhile, Tazuna with his shinobi escorts in tow finally reached his house "Father is that you, are you really home, who are they" his daughter was the one to greet him, hearing the door opening and shutting.

"Yeah I'm home Tsunami, where's Inari, he's not still out playing is he and these are my shinobi escorts, I hired them to protect me" Tazuna explained, just glad that they were actually competent and he'd made it home in one piece.

Tsunami nodded in understanding "Out playing, come in, come in make yourselves comfortable, dinner will be ready soon, don't expect much though, our land is poor and we have very little resources" Tsunami smiled gesturing the shinobi into her house.

Where they politely took off their sandals and put them neatly out of the way "If you don't mind then Tsunami-san, we brought plenty of food supplies that we wouldn't mind sharing, so long as you allowed us to help cook" the lone girl of the group stepped forward.

A scroll in her hand indicating all her food supplies were within said item "That's right it's only proper since we're going to be staying with you until old man Tazuna finishes his bridge" the blonde of the group was at the girls side in an instant.

Holding out a similar scroll "Err I'll just do the dishes, I'm no cook like those two, more Sakura than Naruto, I'm Sasuke by the way, Sasuke Uchiha" the raven haired preteen grimaced, not wanting any part of having to cook in the least.

Already having to do that enough at home since the three of them lived together and it was about the only demand Sakura had made so she wasn't the only one cooking all the time "And I'm Asuma Sarutobi" the ebony haired Jonin nodded his head in greeting.

Poor Tsunami looked like she didn't know what to do with the sudden offer "Well then shall we get started Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun" the blue haired civilian woman finally shrugged deciding to just roll with it, turned gracefully on her heel and led the way into the kitchen.

Delicious smells that enticed the stomach to growl then began to waft through the house less than fifteen minutes later "Yeesh those kids are a handful" Tazuna groaned, settled comfortably on a couch as he was and practically starving now that he was able to relax.

Seeing as he was home and soon the nightmare that had plagued his village for so long would be over as well "I agree, their, let's just say high maintenance" Asuma sighed, refraining from smoking since he was sure the clients daughter wouldn't appreciate the smell very much.

Tazuna laughed and fifteen minutes later, Sasuke emerged from the kitchen to inform the remaining adults that dinner was ready just as the door slammed open and slammed shut "MOM I'M HOME WHAT'S FOR SUPPER" and a child's voice rang out loudly from the foyer.

Seconds after an eight year old charged into the living room "Grandpa your home, hey who the hell are you weirdo's and what are you doing in my house" said child then proceeded to insult the unknown people in his home.

Getting an eye roll from the raven haired preteen before the preteen disappeared into the kitchen, seeing as his only task had been to inform the others that dinner was ready "Honestly Inari don't be rude to our guests, especially since they escorted me all the way home" the elder scolded.

Knowing that it would be hard to get his grandson to warm up to the shinobi "Your grandfather's right, he hired them to protect him, now get in here and sit down" Tsunami called from the kitchen, Inari scowled impressively but stomped into the kitchen anyway.

Only to gape at the spread of food littering the table "What is all this Mom, where did you get all this food" Inari asked, swallowing thickly at the mouth-watering aroma teasing his nose and making his stomach rumble in hunger.

"Us Inari-san, we shared our stock of food supplies, seeing as we're going to be here for awhile and imposing on you until Tazuna finishes the bridge" a pink haired girl announced with a smile, having been told the story by Tsunami.

Inari was quiet after that and as soon as all the food had been eaten, he jumped up as if on fire "Gato's gonna kill you all there are no such things as heroes" the eight year old bellowed in a belligerent tone before flying from the room and up the stairs before he could be scolded.

Sakura was the one to roll her eyes this time "That's what he thinks, but after tonight Gato won't pose a problem to anyone, well maybe…the stench could bother someone" Naruto sniggered, imagining something.

What that was Tazuna and Tsunami decided they didn't want to know as Sakura rapped the knucklehead over the head "Doofball, saying that I aught to take away your ramen for that comment" Sakura scowled.

Naruto laughed sheepishly in response "Anyway I'm just going to get started on the dishes" Sasuke shook his head at the duo's antics, even if he was amused and wanted to laugh, he didn't instead got to cleaning as he'd offered earlier.

The Jonin in charge pitching in to make an effort himself even since he was also one of the people staying until the kitchen was put back to rights and the lot of them gathered in the living room to lounge and do nothing for the rest of the evening until it was bed time.

Later that night, Sakura who'd been waiting for the rest of the occupants in the house to fall asleep, snuck quietly out of the house and trekked a short distance into the forest located right behind Tazuna's home before flashing through a set of hand signs.

A large plume of smoke filled the air before her as she finished the hand signs and used blood as the medium to activate the jutsu in which she was performing "You have one task, kill this man and any hired thug with him understand" Sakura said, holding up a picture.

Instructing the horde of hairy legged vampire bats that she'd just summoned on what their mission was "If that is your wish Sakura-sama, then it shall be done" Aimai, her favorite bat to summon said, taking flight and disappearing into the darkness.

Her fellow cave-mates right on her tail after memorizing the picture of the one they were meant to dispose of, leaving Sakura to return to the house, lock up for a second time, quietly creep back up the stairs, enter her separate room from the males and lay back down to get some shut eye at long last.

Just before the sun was to peek over the horizon, a rhythmic tapping sound, sounded on the window, Sakura's eyes snapped open and she heaved the window open, allowing Aimai into her individual guest room.

The little bat reeked of the metallic stench of blood "Aimai reports that the mission is complete, target has been taken care of, along with all his subordinates" Aimai reported seriously, hoping to get praised.

"Good work Aimai, you did well, I'm proud of you and the others as well, so go get some rest and I'll summon you tomorrow night to give you a reward" the rosette pat the little creature on the head and sent her back to the cave with a promise of a reward.

She had found out that her horde of bats had a particular penchant for her own blood and often gave that as a reward if they did well on the tasks she set before them, with that Sakura decided that it was probably best to get dressed since it was already morning.

And two hours later the lot of them were crowded around the table eating breakfast, Asuma caught her gaze, a question in his eyes to which she nodded to "Right then, you three have the job of watching over Tazuna while he works on the bridge, I have something else to do" Asuma stood.

Once he was finished eating of course "What's so important that you have to do alone that you have to leave me with these genin" Tazuna frowned in confusion, regardless of how capable the kids were, he didn't like the fact that the Jonin was just up and abandoning them.

The man chuckled "Just a bit of clean up and I'll join you right after" the raven haired male shrugged, giving a non answer that left the civilians confused while Sasuke and Naruto shot horrified looks at Sakura.

Clearly they hadn't thought she was serious about setting her bats upon Gato, now they knew "Scary" Naruto shuddered yet again prompting the girl to giggle at him mercilessly to Tsunami's amusement even if she didn't understand the reason why Sakura was laughing.

"Indeed" Sasuke deadpanned finishing up with his breakfast before helping with the clean up, Inari shot off like a projectile weapon to avoid the chore and then fifteen minutes later the three of them and Tazuna were stood on the partially completed bridge to keep lookout.

Not that there was any need to anyway since the threat had been taken care of but Asuma had asked it of them and their job was to protect Tazuna after all, nearly a whole two hours later Asuma was back.

Expression grim but despite his reservations he was grateful that the mission would be five times easier without worrying about the business tycoon "How'd the cleanup go Asuma-sensei" Sakura asked when she realized he was there on the bridge with them after fifteen minutes.

He chuckled "As well as possible I suppose, though I do have one last task for you, before you receive your rewards" Asuma frowned, Sakura inched closer sensing that this newest task was going to be quite challenging.

"Need you to have your bats find out where Zabuza and his partner are hiding, because they weren't where Gato was and deliver this to them, it's his body, and a message" the raven haired male held out a scroll.

Peridot orbs hardened in response "Of course, I'd already planned on summoning them to give them their own reward for doing so well last night, tonight anyway, so leave it to me Asuma-sensei" the pinkette intoned quietly.

Taking the held out scroll with a dead body sealed inside of it gingerly only to stuff it in her storage pouch a second later, Asuma was tempted to smile but refrained as he didn't think Sakura would find her actions as amusing as he had.

"Oi your not even paying attention Sakura-chan, I could have thrown a rock at you and you wouldn't have even known" the blonde of Team Seven huffed as he realized Sakura was no longer watching out for trouble.

Sakura rolled her eyes in response "Yeah right Naruto, she spent two weeks in pitch black, relying on nothing but her ears to get around, she would hear any sort of thing coming at her from a mile away" the Uchiha scoffed from where he was on the other side of the bridge.

Apart from his teammates "Wait what, what do you mean she spent two weeks in pitch black" Tazuna asked in confusion, not understanding what was going on anymore or why they were getting lazy with their watch all of a sudden.

Even Asuma was curious "My bat summons kind of kidnapped me for training, I had to learn to rely on my other senses such as hearing, touch, taste, smell in order to be recognized as their summoner, so I went to their cave for two weeks" Sakura explained.

Viridian orbs twinkling with mischief as Naruto's attention drifted in that exact moment she bent down, scooped up a rock and threw it at the blonde just as he looked at her again and it bounced lightly off his forehead "Owww" Naruto whined.

Rubbing his forehead, her lips pulled back into a wide grin "Good aiming there Sakura, and come on knucklehead you earned that one" Sasuke laughed, glad that they could spend the rest of the mission without worrying about any major threats.

Tazuna groaned feeling a headache bloom across his forehead but dutifully returned to working on finishing the bridge before Zabuza felt better or worse Gato got it in his head to send his thugs after his family again, not knowing that Gato was already dead.

Later on that evening after dinner Sakura went outside and made the trek to her spot of the night before and summoned her bats, the ones who'd completed the grisly task for her and gave each of them three drops of her own blood.

Before dismissing all but one "Sakura-sama do you have need of Aimai again" the little female bat cocked her head to the side in confusion as her summoner withdrew a scroll from her pouch and held it out to her.

Nodding all the while "Yes, take this to Zabuza's partner, don't wait for a return message, just go back to the cave immediately after, here's your reward ahead of time" the rosette gave Aimai a couple extra drops more than the others had received.

Who took the scroll in her mouth and disappeared into the night once more to complete her newest task to say the partner of Zabuza was shocked when she dropped the scroll in his lap just as he snapped into an alert state of mind and disappeared was an understatement.

As he quickly took the scroll in hand and looked it over quizzically "What was that Haku" Zabuza growled, awake after a hellish night and day thanks to whatever was in his system attacking him quite viciously to the point where he just wanted to die.

"Just a bat, but it must have got lost or something, perhaps a summons, a message to those Leaf Shinobi maybe" Haku frowned, holding up the unassuming scroll, never realizing how wrong he was or what sort of horror would unfold when the contents of the scroll were unsealed.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes "Open it, they could have called for backup" the rogue demanded in a pained voice, itching to hack through the person who was responsible for his current state, bedridden due to a fever and other symptoms that couldn't be counteracted.

With a shrug Haku did as told only to instantly grow pale at what came out of the scroll "It's Gato….he's dead, I'd say since yesterday or early this morning even, cause of death, it looks like all his blood was drained out of him" the teenager grimaced.

More horrified than he thought possible at the grisly scene before his eyes "Did anything else come out of the scroll other than Gato's body" Zabuza barked trying to get his apprentice on track again so they could find out what happened.

Haku took a deep breath and searched around before his hand touched a slip of paper "Looks like a message, it's to us, ~This Will Be You Next If You Don't Accept My Demand, Meet Me Here Tomorrow, This Time, We'll Talk Then Signed: Asuma Sarutobi~" Haku read off.

The bedridden rogue growled "We're going then, even if I want to kill that damn bastard and I feel like hell, we're going" the demon of the Hidden Mist Village snarled, beyond furious that he'd been cornered but certainly not wanting to end up like Gato felt relenting was his only choice.

"Very well, best to get some rest or the most rest that we can" the raven haired fifteen year old sighed, sealing the dead body of Gato back into the scroll that they'd received, tossed the blankets that had been contaminated with said dead body, got a new one and hesitantly went to sleep.

And the following day with Naruto and Sasuke on Tazuna duty, Asuma and Sakura went to meet with Zabuza and his partner "The hell do you want" Zabuza spat, struggling to remain standing from whatever was attacking his nervous system.

Pleased that the rogue was at least giving in "Peace Zabuza…you leave Tazuna, his family and us alone, Sakura will give you the antidote to the poison in your system, the money in this here scroll and a free pass so to speak, I won't alert your village of your whereabouts" Asuma informed.

Taking a puff off his cigarette and releasing the smoke in a steady stream "Poison, that's whats causing those symptoms in Zabuza" the teenager supporting the rogue asked in surprised confusion obviously not having figured it out.

"From the knockout gas I mixed a couple of poisonous herbs into the recipe to keep him out for a little while until Asuma-sensei was ready to deal with him and you as we later found out" Sakura chimed in, not boasting just simply stating facts.

Asuma chuckled "You..did..this…to..me" the former Mist shinobi said slowly, taking in the girl he'd dismissed as an extremely naive brat just a couple days ago on their first meeting, Sakura nodded quietly in answer.

But the look in her eyes didn't portray that of an innocent, there was a promise of death in her gaze and retribution to the one who pissed her off, she was no ordinary girl that was for sure despite his initial thought of her.

"How, you looked completely harmless during the confrontation, you still don't look like you could hurt a fly" Haku frowned in confusion not seeing what his master saw, only an unassuming innocent genin that didn't know the dangers of the outside world.

Sakura narrowed her eyes on him "Never judge a book by it's cover, you never know what's inside when you open it after all" the fuscia haired preteen said before her expression shifted "By the way that was all an act, I wanted to be seen that way" Sakura smiled.

Only to settle her expression into a neutral one in the next moment "An act, all of it, you, were you in on it as well" the Hidden Mist rogue snapped to at the admission as he leveled a glare at the Jonin, who blew out another stream of smoke and nodded.

"We knew you were laying in wait for us Zabuza, went over the entire plan before hand but those three, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke improvised their acting before and during the confrontation with you like true pro's" Asuma chuckled.

Zabuza's KI bore down on them harshly but not even Sakura flinched "Just what are you" Haku asked, seriously confused at all the things that had happened since they'd been in Gato's employ, Gato who was dead now he had to remind himself of that fact.

"A properly trained kunoichi, taught to handle anything that my choice of career will throw at me" the pinkette announced seriously, emerald orbs glittering dangerously as she kept herself in place next to Asuma.

Because he hadn't told her to move yet "So do you accept my demand Zabuza, you don't have much choice in the matter and it will be no skin off my back to have you taken care off in the same manner Gato was" the Third Hokage's son cleared his throat.

Reminding them of the reason they were meeting in the first place, Zabuza growled, at his breaking point obviously before relenting "Fine, now get this stupid poison out of me girl" Zabuza snarled, tired of feeling like he was about to collapse.

Sakura looked to Asuma who nodded and marched forward with a hypodermic needle in hand, a second later the contents of the syringe was emptied into his bloodstream and five minutes later he definitely felt much better.

"Now what" Haku questioned as the four of them stood around awkwardly unsure of what to do now that there was no need to take out the bridge builder, Gato was no more, they'd been outwitted and he didn't see any reason to stick around.

His master however seemed to think otherwise but before he could voice those opinions a hawk swooped down "From Sasuke-sama, knucklehead and I got into an argument, he ran off like an idiot, your the only one who can find him" the hawk delivered his message.

Then disappeared in a plume of smoke Sakura ground her teeth furiously "Go on Sakura, find Naruto and here the promised money" Asuma sighed, watching in slight amusement as the girl turned sharply on her heel and stalked off to find her teammate.

Probably looking like some sort of demon emerging from hell he was sure as Zabuza took the scroll filled with money that Gato had promised to pay him, however he didn't immediately leave as a calculative gleam appeared in his dark brown irises.

Asuma was immediately on edge at the look "That brat there, I want to add my own stipulations to our little deal, two things, I want her to teach Haku here how to craft antidotes and recognize poisonous herbs and their symptoms" the former Mist Nin demanded suddenly.

Just the first stipulation of course "And second there's a few things I'd like to teach the brat, if she has an affinity for it anyway, you agree to those two demands, and I'll even throw in saving any idiot genin from your village if I happen to see them in trouble" Zabuza finished.

Clearly that wasn't what Asuma was expecting as he dropped his cigarette in surprise "Your willingly offering to teach Sakura in exchange for her cooperation in showing your partner there how to craft antidotes" the Third Hokage's son intoned incredulously.

Zabuza nodded his head seriously "If the brats got an affinity for such things anyway" the rogue shrugged not saying exactly what he was going to be teaching the girl because he wasn't sure if she had the necessary element to even learn.

"How hard do you suppose it will be to learn about crafting antidotes" the fifteen year old mused, curious but unsure that he would be able to understand as well as the genin did obviously since it seemed like she had years of experience over him in such a complicated subject.

To his surprise the Leaf Jonin snorted "Extremely hard, Sakura's probably been concocting poisons and antidotes since she was five, but I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to teach someone else for a change of pace and learn whatever your going to teach her" Asuma said.

Relenting to the extra demands with a little side perk "Since she was five, bloody hell, who the hell would do that, was her sensei an idiot or something" Zabuza hissed furiously, not even he was that stupid to let a child that young handle poisonous plants and the like.

"I have to agree, whoever taught her seriously needs to be investigated for child endangerment" Haku was even in agreement while Asuma shrugged, there was little point, though he wasn't sure if she'd actually doing that since she was five, Sasori was no longer in the village.

With that he nodded to the rogue and his partner and turned on his heel to find out how his temporary students were doing, Naruto had obviously been found and later on they traipsed back to the house for dinner and afterwards settled down to get some sleep.


	14. Chapter 13

As agreed upon the following morning when Naruto and Sasuke were yet again slated for Tazuna duty, Asuma informed Sakura of her unexpected tasks "He wants to teach me" Sakura asked, not sure she could really believe what she was being told.

"Not only that but for you to teach his partner how to recognize poisonous herbs and their symptoms and properly concoct antidotes and the like" Asuma nodded seriously, intending on taking it easy for the rest of the mission himself.

While Sakura sighed but accepted the negotiated terms with little complaint even though she did grumble for a moment "Great, nobody even realizes how hard that sort of thing is, I've been studying medicinal and poisonous plants, herbs and flowers since I was 5" the rosette groaned.

Relieving his concern a little that Sasori had, had her handling those plants at that age "Just studying them" the raven haired Jonin prodded, interested to hear the answer, Sakura heaved a sigh but nodded.

"Yeah, I didn't start learning how to craft antidotes until I was eight and handling poisonous plants and the like was much later after I got use to handling medicinal herbs and plants" Sakura explained, a far away look in her eyes.

Probably remembering her training under Sasori and he had to wonder if his Father had known what the double agent rogue had been doing his entire time in the Hidden Leaf Village "Anyway go on their waiting for you" Asuma nudged the girl off.

Sakura shot him a quick smile before disappearing in the direction that would lead her to Zabuza's hideout "You actually came, not afraid that I'll do you in" Zabuza commented when she appeared before him and she rolled her eyes at the threat.

"Can't fool me Zabuza, swordsmen are bound by honor and once you make a deal you never go back on your word for fear of being seen as dishonorable, plus I can tell by the tone of your voice that your not serious about that threat just now" the pinkette deadpanned.

Unafraid to say such things because she was right and he knew it "By the tone of his voice, you can really tell such things" Haku questioned, never having heard of such things, to his horror what came out of the girls mouth next made him feel sick.

Especially when she nodded "Mhm, Naruto, Sasuke and I, all part-time at the Torture and Interrogation Unit, I'm learning directly under T&I's commander to detect the slightest change in prisoners voices, to properly interrogate them and such and later on torture" Sakura shrugged.

Zabuza grimaced beneath his bandages "In any event, start teaching Haku" the Demon of the Hidden Mist Village growled, settling against a tree to watch for any funny business and tend to Kubikiribocho at the same time.

Leaving the brats to sit as well facing one another while Sakura pulled a scroll out of her medical pouch and unsealed a metal tray, followed by countless bags of herbs, both medicinal and poisonous, other plants, flowers, leaves, and roots even.

Then she arranged them all neatly on the tray and focused her gaze on Haku "Let's start with these Haku, the plants I used in my concoction that I used on Zabuza" the fuscia haired preteen began, pointing to several different bags.

Behind her Zabuza straightened, listening intently to the conversation himself as Haku tried to keep up with the lesson being imparted on him, in which manner over three hours passed by swiftly "Dare I ask how long you've been learning" the fifteen year old grimaced.

Head pounding, Sakura seemed to sense this and sealed all of her herbs away again "I've been studying them since I was five, working with them since I was eight" Sakura admitted for the second time in the span of a few hours.

Raising a glowing green hand to Haku's head, relieving the teenager of his headache "Can you teach me that to, I feel it will come in handy at some point" Haku requested, wanting to make himself more useful in any way that he could.

"Perhaps later Haku, the little brat gets to learn from me now and I'll tell you right now it won't be easy, any ninja worth their salt knows their element so we're going to see if you have an affinity for water elemental jutsu's, starting right now" Zabuza barked.

Earning an eye roll "Earth and Water, Zabuza, and I know several jutsu's for both my elements already, however I'm not opposed to learning more" the rosette informed, though there was an excited gleam etched in her emerald irises at the prospect of learning new jutsu.

Obviously Zabuza had underestimated her again for he went silent at her admission "How about your teammates do they know their elements as well" his brat apprentice inquired, not having thought their time here in the Land of Waves would be so different than imagined.

Sakura nodded "Yep, Sasuke has fire and lightning and Naruto, he's our wind elemental" Sakura said not giving away any more of their abilities than that, it was okay for her to do so because she wasn't a clan child, unlike her teammates.

"Whatever stupid brat, here's the hand signs to a unique water jutsu that only Hidden Mist Shinobi are taught, it's the water clone jutsu, have at it and I expect you to have it down within the hour understand" the rogue growled.

Clearly feeling out of his depth even if he'd been the one to demand the girl to learn under him "Okay then, I ask that you try not to be to surprised though…Suiton: Water Clone Jutsu" the pinkette sighed, flashing through the hand signs she'd just been shown.

And in a swirl of water there were five water clones stood behind her not a flaw to them "The hell, that was supposed to take you at least an hour or more, not five minutes" Zabuza snapped in an irate tone but did the little brat flinch.

Oh no she merely met his glare head on "For a normal fresh out of the academy genin sure, if I hadn't been trained by a Jonin for all my years in the academy yeah that would usually take someone an hour or more, but I honed my chakra control tirelessly" Sakura huffed.

"Basically what your saying then you have beyond standard control over your chakra that lets you learn jutsu's in half the time it takes everyone else" Haku hastily intervened before Zabuza could blow up like he so clearly wanted.

Thankfully this got another nod and Zabuza sighed "Exactly, I was learning how to make chakra ink when I was six, being in the advanced chakra control class as I was" the fuscia haired girl admitted and Haku stared at her in horror yet again.

"Six, you were six…and what else were you taught" the Hidden Mist rogue prodded harshly, more than a little curious, this girl definitely wasn't normal and he understood that now, before she could answer though.

A short distance away from them a branch snapped under someones foot, followed by the sound of said person running away, Sakura was off like a projectile weapon, easily catching up with the eavesdropper and tackling him in one smooth movement.

Where they rolled for a meter or two, her ending up on top and pinning the intruder down with all her strength only to realize who her captive was in the next moment "Hi" Sasuke wheezed out, crushed underneath her as he was.

With a roll of her eyes Sakura stood and gave him an unimpressed look "Sloppy, if Kakashi-sensei had been here to see that we'd be going through hell because of you" Sakura scolded, Sasuke simply stood and took the scolding with little complaint.

Until Sakura finally ran out of steam "Your right, that was sloppy and thank kami I never want to be chased by his summons again" the Uchiha shuddered, casting an imperceptible glance at the duo stood behind his teammate.

"Kakashi, you don't mean Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja, the man whose copied over a thousand jutsu and possesses a sharingan" Zabuza interrupted further conversation between the two genin with a question.

That had Sasuke going rigid in response "What, there's no way that goofy idiotic man could ever….Sakura you knew this and didn't tell me or the knucklehead" Sasuke took notice of his teammates expression which wasn't nearly as surprised or shocked as his own.

"Oh Sasuke you know one of my passions is studying, so of course and you never asked, plus I knew how you'd react if you did know" the bubblegum haired girl giggled heartlessly, unsympathetic of his feelings obviously.

She never had been sympathetic of his feelings to be honest "This Kakashi is your real sensei, how come he didn't come with you on this mission" Haku asked in the resounding silence, wanting to learn more if he could.

Both genin turned towards him in unrehearsed sync "He said there was another mission that needed his specific skill-set, anyway Asuma-sensei sent me to bring you back for lunch" Sasuke announced before facing Sakura again.

And revealing the real reason he'd come there "Right, see you tomorrow then or if Asuma-sensei sends me back here after lunch, I'll see you then" Sakura waved at the duo, grabbed Sasuke's wrist and drug him after her back to Tazuna's house.

"Just where on earth have you been Sakura, surely you know it's dangerous to patrol on your own what with Gato and his thugs still lurking around right" Tazuna frowned, having been worried this whole time obviously.

While still not knowing that Gato and his hired men were no longer a threat, as well as Zabuza, Sakura shot a look to Asuma who chuckled "Relax, if I thought for a minute she couldn't handle herself I wouldn't let her go, but she was fine isn't that right Sakura" Asuma prodded lightly.

Still not revealing the truth quite yet, probably a little payback for endangering them on what was supposed to be an easy mission "Yeah Tazuna I was quite safe" the pinkette declared in the most serious voice ever.

Alleviating the clients concerns a little "Goodness, in any case lunch is ready to eat, Naruto-kun helped me" Tsunami directed the conversation back to the matter at hand which was lunch, so the lot of them entered the kitchen and sat around the table to eat the afternoon meal.

Then afterwards they all split up again though Asuma did have a suggestion "Patrolling doesn't sound like to bad of an idea, your unassuming Sakura so I'm leaving that job to you" the Third Hokage's son pointed out.

Keeping up with appearances "Understood Asuma-sensei" Sakura saluted with a wide smile, made sure not a single weapon could be seen upon her person and disappeared in the opposite direction they were heading to do a wide circuit around the outside of the village.

Making sure to actually patrol properly which included checking her surroundings thoroughly for any traps or enemy ninja in hiding, after an hour or so of this Sakura concluded that there was nothing really to worry about and headed back to Tazuna's for the rest of the afternoon.

And the next day she was back spending the morning teaching Haku all about medicinal and poisonous plants and their uses or symptoms "This is more of a chore than I thought it would be" Haku grimaced, once again feeling a headache pounding through his skull.

Sakura nodded solemnly "My tutor made me painstakingly memorize them and gave me tests on them sometimes just to make sure I remembered them, he even went so far as to randomly ask me what a specific herb was for during training" the pinkette admitted.

Grimacing herself before anger seared through her at his abandonment, even if it was to go on a mission, saying they'd probably never meet again was to much, especially after what happened to her parents, Sasori had known how she would feel and had still left.

In the next moment she forced those memories and that feeling to the recesses of her mind and sealed away all of her herb supply again "Today I'll teach you the Hidden Mist Jutsu, however before I show you the hand signs…" Zabuza smirked, bunching up the bandages around his mouth as he trailed off.

Vanishing into the thick mist that suddenly appeared out of no where, Haku suspiciously disappearing from her side as well and Sakura was left there in the middle of the clearing wondering what was going on.

Until she felt it, air shifting and the quiet sound of ruffling clothes, that had her on high alert, and had her ducking on reflex, avoiding the hands that came out of thin air, seconds later the mist dissipated and Zabuza stared down at her in open surprise.

Hands still held out as he blinked at her because nobody had ever escaped from him in that jutsu before until now apparently "How the hell did you do that, not even I can avoid getting caught while he hides in that jutsu" the fifteen year old gaped.

Just as shocked as his Master was "Err I trained how to rely on my sense of touch, smell, hearing and taste, my ears are super sensitive" Sakura said simply, it's not like that could really be used against her much.

Though her admission tipped Zabuza off "That bat from the other night was it yours…whatever, anyway here's the hand signs" the rogue growled, getting a nod from the young girl, satisfied he finally showed her the hand signs to the hidden mist jutsu.

Leaving her to practice for the next several minutes until she could successfully execute the hidden mist jutsu, then it was back to the house for her and another patrol around the village at Asuma's bequest.

For the next several days after, into their second week gone from the Leaf Village, Sakura worked diligently splitting her time being teaching Haku, learning water style jutsu's from Zabuza, patrolling and even spending her time with Naruto and Sasuke when they asked it of her.

It was smooth sailing so far, but on one such morning Sakura knew it was going to be a bad day, they'd been gone approximately nine days and when she woke up, there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her to be wary.

"What's got you so on edge Sakura-chan" and of course Naruto was the first one to notice her fidgety actions as well as her increasing rigidity at the breakfast table immediately everyone looked at her and she grimaced.

Not sure what to really tell them beyond "Somethings going to happen today, I just know it" the rosette stated simply, to distracted to really focus on properly eating and by the time she left the table to make the trek to Zabuza's hideout, she'd eaten less than usual.

Proving that something was seriously wrong because she always had a good appetite "Do you think it would be best to stay in and not go out today" Tazuna frowned, worried that he was going to be attacked at long last.

Asuma shared a look with the two remaining genin "Sasuke, you go with Sakura, Naruto with me, keep your guards raised understood" Asuma said, making a decision to take Sakura's warning at face value instead of brushing it off.

"Got it Asuma" Sasuke nodded, cleaning up as Sakura had before disappearing from the house after Sakura who he caught up with five minutes later, seeing as she'd felt his chakra heading towards her so had decided to wait.

Before the two of them continued on their way "I didn't think you'd be bringing a tag along today brat" Zabuza growled, confused at the extra that was joining them that day, though Sasuke was eerily silent as he scanned their surroundings.

While Sakura was entirely to rigid for comfort "Is something the matter Sakura-san, your unusually tense" Haku questioned in concern as he to cast a wary gaze around the clearing, scoping out his surroundings just in case in response to the tension.

The two genin shared a quick look with one another "Just have a bad feeling in my stomach that somethings going to happen today" Sakura repeated to the duo, casting a look around as she did so, senses on overdrive.

However she did settle as comfortably on the ground as she dared, pulling out the necessary things to begin Haku's lesson, Haku cautiously joined her, leaving Zabuza and Sasuke to keep a wary eye out for any trouble.

And trouble did hit, less than an hour later might they add, in the form of powerful chakra converging on the little village in the Land of Waves, Sasuke was one of the first ones to recognize one of the chakra.

Followed by Sakura, who snapped to just as Sasuke let out a snarl of pure rage and turned on his heel darting off in the direction he felt the chakra "SASUKE UCHIHA IF YOU DON'T STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT I WILL PUNCH YOU OUT" the pinkette screamed.

Channeling chakra into her vocal cords to be heard, Sasuke skidded to a screeching halt and she nearly slammed into him "But Sakura that's my murdering traitorous brother" the ebony haired preteen snapped rounding on her in the next moment his coal eyes alight with fury.

Hands clenching and un-clenching as he fought with himself to remain in place against his better judgement "Taking care of Itachi is not our responsibility Sasuke, regardless if he's your brother or what your goal is, Asuma-sensei is the Jonin here" Sakura spat back.

A dangerous glint in her eyes that told Sasuke he better wise up or he'd still be punted on his ass "Guys this is really bad" Naruto joined them in the next moment, barely acknowledging Zabuza or Haku as he latched on to Sakura, shaking like a leaf.

"We know, we know, damn it, I think this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do" Sasuke growled, pacing back and forth furiously, Sakura watched him intensely because she knew him and the moment she let her guard down he would be off she was certain of it.

Also watching intently were Zabuza and Haku, that's why they were the first ones to notice who else was there with them "Well look what we have here" a strangely cheerful man that looked creepily like a shark appeared when he realized he'd been found.

Sakura gripped Sasuke and Naruto's hands in a vice tight hold and kept them next to her "Hoshigaki, the fuck are you doing here" the wielder of Kubikiribocho growled, already unhooking his own massive blade from his back as he did so.

At the same time Haku inched his way over to the genin and took up a defensive stance "Blondy there is the reason I'm here" Kisame responded, giving a vague answer thinking the genin brats didn't know anything all.

Imagine his surprise when the lone girl straightened "Your after the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of Naruto, if you think for one minute I'll let you touch him, think again bastard" the pinkette glowered, KI oozing from her.

"So he's one of the Akatsuki guys my Father warned us about and let me guess my murdering brother is part of your organization as well" the Uchiha of Team Seven scowled, just glad that Sakura hadn't let him run off like an idiot now.

Naruto was who was most important here for the time being "Excuse me nine-tailed fox" the teenager stood before them frowned, obviously confused at the conversation, while Kisame was eerily silent.

Strangely enough Zabuza knew how the man felt because he was still baffled over the strangeness of the genin brats who knew things they weren't supposed to know like now clearly "In any event Hoshigaki, I won't let you take the brat anyway" Zabuza shifted into a stance himself.

Ready to uphold his end of the deal by saving stupid genin brats should they get in trouble "Hmmph like you could stop me Momochi, don't worry this was just a check up, we're not taking him yet" the shark like rogue smirked.

Only to roll his eyes in the next moment "Kisame" in a flurry of crows Itachi was stood next to him, and suddenly it was difficult to breathe as Sasuke went white with rage and somehow managed to tear himself free of Sakura's white knuckled hold with a howl of fury.

Before he could reach his brother and before something else went amiss, a blue blur shot down between them stopping Sasuke in his tracks "I think I've heard enough" the unknown male spoke, followed by several more powerful chakra heading towards them at long lost.

One of which was familiar to Sakura's relief, despite her complete rigidity, poor Naruto simply continued to shake in fear and her heart ached for him "Let us go Kisame, our objective has been completed for now" Itachi spoke.

Ignoring those in the clearing as best he could, especially the unexpected that had suddenly appeared before them, with a grumble both missing nin were gone in the nick of time to as Asuma flew into the clearing.

Having ran obviously to get to them and stop anything bad from happening on his heels were three shinobi from an entirely different village, one they so happened to not be allies with and Sakura who'd been steadily relaxing went rigid again.

Caught up in the political side of village affairs courtesy of the sensei she wanted to punch "Ease up there Sakura, their allies for now" Asuma saw Sakura's suddenly defensive stance and saw fit to ease her mind a little.

Just a little out of breath from his run across the little village, even if he knew that Itachi was a double agent, things could have gone badly anyway "Heh smart little brat aren't ya girly" then the largest man they'd seen to date, barring Ibiki Morino suddenly threw his head back with a booming laugh.

Finding her actions funny which didn't amuse her in the least "Raikage-sama you shouldn't be moving around with that poison coursing through your veins, the only reason we followed him was because he said that there was a medic here who had the necessary herbs to get rid of the poison" the white skinned blonde frowned.

Sakura immediately snapped to again drawing his gaze "Ah that's right, Sakura if you'd be so kind" Asuma cleared his throat, glad that Sakura did know the things she did right then, otherwise the situation would be even worse he was sure.

The lone girl nodded, shot Sasuke a death glare for his reckless action earlier of rushing at Itachi like a madman, and marched forward with a determined glint in her green eyes "Idiot" she hissed under her breath as she passed by him.

Prompting Sasuke to flinch away from her on reflex "Kinda have to agree with Sakura-chan, that was a dumb move" Naruto, who was no longer trembling now that everything seemed to be calming down said as Sakura set to work.

Drawing blood from the Raikage and looking at it under a microscope while asking questions to determine what sort of poison was currently in his bloodstream, then ten minutes later after grinding up a variety of herbs and shooting another glare at Sasuke.

Who used his fire jutsu to heat the water to boiling point, the antidote was ready to be administered, just to check though Sakura dripped some of it on the blood she'd drawn from the Raikage, eyed it under the microscope for a second before smiling in satisfaction certain that it would do it's job properly.

Five minutes later the Raikage's skin color returned to normal, no longer pale or flushed or sweaty as had been the case "Quite the handy skill to have huh Kid" the remaining Cloud Shinobi, who'd been quiet since arriving on scene finally whistled.

Slightly awed at how quickly the poison had been dealt with and neutralized "If it saves lives yeah" the fuscia haired girl finally shrugged after a moment of eyeing him as she packed away her belongings and stored the scroll in her pouch again.

Asuma blew out a breath then focused on the other unknown shinobi "Was travelling with them, I don't know how I came back to be honest" the blonde that Naruto strangely eerily looked like said with a grimace as he straightened from his defensive crouch.

Alerting the others that it was now safe to do so as well, though Zabuza and Haku hastily retreated because they certainly didn't want to end up killed by Cloud Shinobi despite their deal with the Leaf Shinobi.

"Hmm interesting, anyway Sakura why don't you go check up on Tazuna, make sure he's okay after the scare of earlier, Naruto go with her, Sasuke I need you to send this message with your hawk to Leaf" Asuma rubbed his chin in thought before deciding on a course of action.

By assigning the genin some tasks to complete "Of course Asuma-sensei" Sakura smiled at him pleasantly, shot Sasuke one last death glare that had the boy going as pale as a ghost, grabbed Naruto by the hand gently and stalked off.

"Hehehe see you later" Naruto waved awkwardly, a moment later the duo was gone, leaving Sasuke alone to complete his own task while inwardly cursing himself for his moment of stupidity, wondering how he could have forgotten so simple like how Sakura would feel if he got injured.

A moment later Umo was flying off into the distance "So I couldn't help but notice that girly seemed to be mad at you boy, what did you do to get those glares" the Raikage couldn't help but ask in the resounding silence.

Surprisingly the answer came from the unknown shinobi that Asuma seemed to know "He tried to attack those two rogues from earlier, luckily I managed to get ahead of him before he got injured" the blonde chuckled dryly.

"Ooh your lucky Kid, otherwise things could have ended up not so good for you" the younger dark skinned male grimaced realizing how bad the situation could have been if the blonde had gotten there any later.

Sasuke grumbled in response "I know okay, I was stupid and idiotic, I guess I should be thankful she didn't punch me clear to the Leaf village for that stunt" Sasuke groaned, acting his age for once, for real this time to Asuma's amusement.

Clearly the boy was afraid of his female teammate even though he probably should have already figured that out given how Naruto and Sasuke do everything in their power to avoid upsetting her and did everything she asked of them without complaint.

The lone girl on the team held all the cards and both the boys knew it "Right if you don't mind we'd like to relax at your current accommodations if you don't mind" the onyx eyed blonde suddenly directed the conversation onto something else.

With that Asuma found himself leading not one but five people back to Tazuna's, where they all settled comfortably on couches "Who are you anyway" Naruto asked after an uncomfortable silence had descended over them.

Eyeing the unknown shinobi in their midst, Minato gave a jolt and looked to Asuma, who nodded with a chuckle "The names Minato Namikaze and I am or rather was the Fourth Hokage" Minato introduced himself.

Probably never having imagined that he'd be where he was right now, alive and talking to his preteen son due to some unforeseen circumstance that he wasn't even sure about, his life could be temporary for all he knew at this point in time.

"Fourth Hokage, you mean your the guy who sealed the stupid nine tailed fox inside of me" the younger blonde spluttered in outrage, clearly having been told by someone, before he could do anything reckless though.

Sakura shot him a glance that had him freezing in place, Asuma smiled, glad that at least one of the genin could subdue both of her teammates with ease and that she had the patience of a saint sometimes while on the other hand having a fiery temper that she wasn't afraid to unleash.

Naruto settled quickly at her stare though even if he was sulking now and she returned to quietly reading from her book "In response to that question Naruto-kun, yes I'm the one who sealed the fox inside of you" Minato sighed, eyeing Sakura in confused curiosity.

Much like a certain blonde Cloud Shinobi was doing, her skill in antidote crafting had probably left him feeling quite unsure of his own skill most likely "Just so you know Sasuke, your helping with dinner and dishes tonight" the rosette chimed in again.

Keeping her gaze focused on her book as she spoke, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and despite the various complaints that were on the tip of his tongue, kept his mouth shut and simply flared his chakra in silent confirmation to the demand she made of him.

It was better than being punched in any case, Asuma shook his head at their antics "Nonsensical aren't you girly" the Raikage commented and got a nod in response to his surprise as she raised her gaze to meet his head on without flinching.

She was the most gutsy brat he'd ever met, not counting the genin brats in his own village, most of them could barely be in his presence barring two of them "Don't let Naruto and Sasuke fool you though when their not goofing off their just as bad as Sakura" Asuma chuckled.

And the girl in question simply huffed at him "Really now that's interesting and how long have you three been genin, before we forget, I'm Cee, one of Raikage-sama's personal bodyguards and personal medic" the onyx eyed blonde from Cloud chimed in.

Finally introducing himself, Sakura raised a brow at the medic part and most likely wondered why he hadn't simply dealt with the poison himself "A month, though we've all known each other since our academy days" Sasuke answered.

Train of thought going in the same direction as Sakura's no doubt as he to eyed Cee with a little confusion in his gaze "A month, a bloody month, your greenies and yet your already going on outside the village missions, my names Ay and I'm the Raikage" Ay spluttered.

"Well you can thank our usual sensei for that, Kakashi-sensei's the one who decided to send us here on this supposed to be C Rank mission, but Tazuna-san over there lied about the mission rank and it turned A rank on us" Sakura sniffed, throwing a half-hearted glare at Tazuna who sweat-dropped.

Laughing sheepishly as he did so, speaking of, he still didn't know that Gato and his thugs were dead and Zabuza was no longer a threat to he and his family, he was probably a nervous wreck on the inside "Oh Father" Tsunami shook her head with a giggle.

Amused at the genin's antics "Your sensei is Kakashi, Kakashi Hatake, then why may I ask is Asuma-san on this mission" Minato asked incredulously, more than a little confused at the turn of events, especially since he now had a chance to get to know his son.

"That's Kakashi-sensei's fault to, he had another mission so assigned Asuma-sensei as our temporary sensei for this mission only probably because we were driving him crazy and he wanted a break from us" Naruto sniggered.

Minato sighed at the answer "Before you go on I'm Darui, anyway how did you classify this mission as A Rank" the last remaining Cloud Shinobi interrupted the current conversation with a question that was bothering him.

Immediately the genin straightened "Gato of Gato corps was after him for building the bridge, we encountered rogues and had to fight them" Asuma admitted and something about the way he said that tipped Tazuna off.

As his expression turned into one of confusion "Was, don't you mean is after me…..wait the morning after our return you acted pretty weird, said something about a clean up, do you mean to say he's been dead this entire time" Tazuna caught on surprisingly quick after that.

"Zabuza and his partner are also no longer after you, haven't been since the day after Gato's death alongside all those thugs in his employ, that doesn't mean however that I won't be including everything that happened here in our mission report when we go back" Asuma informed.

Serious for once, usually having a very laid back attitude concerning most events that had gone on so far "It would have been nice to know that we were no longer under threat, however I think I understand why you didn't say immediately" the blue haired civilian woman spoke up suddenly.

Having an inkling, it was a little payback for endangering the genin, she could understand that, they were just children despite how serious they got about things "Right, one thing I don't understand, who killed them" the bridge builder asked.

Dead silence followed his question, "More like what killed them but I'm sure you don't want to hear the grisly details" Asuma finally sighed after several minutes of uncomfortable silence, keeping his gaze firmly ahead.

"No, no even I'm curious I have to admit, what do you mean what killed him are you saying it was some sort of animal attack" Tsunami prodded curiously, and he wished she hadn't asked in the first place because realization overcame Tazuna in the next moment.

For he immediately shot Sakura a horrified glance because despite her best efforts he'd heard her admission about her summons "Your bats killed Gato" the gray haired elder exploded practically having an aneurysm.

"Look Tazuna-san it's a dog eat, dog world out here, it's not rainbows and sunshine like kids our age are supposed to think it is, people die all the time sometimes for stupid reasons even, yes it was my bats because that was our duty to make sure you stayed safe" Sakura said in a flat tone.

"But your just a kid, how could you simply kill someone just like that" Tazuna whimpered in horror, the rest of them keeping silent, even his daughter, who looked down sadly, probably imagining her son as a shinobi.

The girl let out a long suffering sigh "Because we're shinobi, regardless of my age and rank I am a kunoichi trained in deadly arts, my personal feelings don't matter" the rosette said as gently as possible trying not to be to harsh since he was a civilian.

With that she promptly disappeared from the living room "Cynical little brat isn't she" Ay commented, probably thinking that the girl was unhinged when really it was the opposite, even if she was a bit cynical about things.

It was that distrust that drove Kakashi to ask him to accompany his genin on this mission in the first place actually "Just a little, but when you get down to it, Sakura's all heart, she's just been…I don't know to be honest" Asuma made a face at his own lack of knowing things.

"Hurt, when she was little she got bullied a lot because she wanted to be a shinobi while not being from any clan background, then someone came along and said he had faith in her" Naruto spoke up, knowing because he'd been there since nearly the beginning.

Sasuke nodding along with him "Then when she was ten her parents went missing, Sakura was devastated, the investigation is on-going but with who the likely culprit was, finding them is entirely unlikely" Sasuke butt in.

"Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, and then the person who'd been training us, left on an undercover mission the day we graduated from the academy and became genin, she considered him family to you know" Naruto finished.

Also having been hurt by Sasori's abandonment "Sakura-chan's an orphan, we had no idea" Tsunami gasped in horror at the admissions that had been given by the two boys on Sakura's team, while Asuma grimaced.

Not sure what to do with the information he'd just received "He is to but Naruto's never known his parents and I almost became one as well when I was eight, one of the rogues from earlier did it, my own brother, nearly eradicated my/our clan the Uchiha Clan" Sasuke informed further.

Off to the side Minato bit his tongue to keep from denying that little statement about how Naruto was an orphan, technically he was since Naruto didn't know who he was, but the rest of the statement horrified him as it did everyone else.

"Seems like to me that the brat has good reasons to be distrustful of people, though it's good to know she has her priorities straight" Ay sat back, mulling over the discussion that had just been had inwardly so no one asked him questions.

There was one question though that Minato wanted answered "If you and Sakura-san are orphans Naruto-kun, where do you live, surely not on your own right" Minato questioned seriously, a frown already working it's way onto his lips.

His son shook his head "Nope, me, Sakura-chan and Sasuke share a house that's twenty feet away from his parents house, they claimed us wards of the Uchiha Clan and all that jazz, without having total authority over us, it was the only way Sakura-chan would accept their offer" Naruto announced.

"Wards of the Uchiha clan, why not simply adopt the two of you since there's very little of the clan left, pardon my rudeness Kid" Darui creased his brow in confusion, not understanding in the least why the Clan Head didn't simply adopt the two orphans.

Sasuke snorted "Cause of me, in simple terms I like her quite a bit and not just as a friend, I know she'll never feel that way about me but she's still afraid that my parents are going to force a contract on her to get married to me, that's why they were simply claimed as wards" Sasuke intoned bitterly.

Making all the adults in the room cringe while Naruto kept his mouth shut "Back to an earlier question though, how exactly did bat summons manage to kill several people" Cee asked, going back to the previous topic of conversation.

Looking at Asuma as he did so and suddenly everyone was curious, barring the two boys who grimaced and also disappeared from the living room "Apparently their quite vicious and like to drink blood, I think she said their species was the hairy legged vampire bats" Asuma said.

Ay choked but looked intrigued while Tsunami decided that maybe it would have been better if she hadn't know how their tormentor had died "You mean to say she had her bats drain them of their blood" Tazuna felt faint.

But Asuma nodded a grim expression on his face as he did so "It was quite…..disturbing" the Leaf Jonin intoned flatly, trying not to be to descriptive with the details of the gruesome scene he'd witnessed, Tsunami headed into the kitchen at that.

Probably to start on lunch, Naruto scampered after her to Minato's amusement "They've been helping make breakfast, lunch and dinner since we got here about a week ago, Naruto and Sakura anyway, Sasuke's been doing the dishes" Asuma explained lightening the mood.

Tazuna heaved a sigh of relief glad that no more questions were being asked about Gato's rather disturbing demise "And now the brat has dinner duty and dish duty, not much of a punishment" the Raikage mused finally speaking again.

Until said girl returned "Maybe for most people but Sasuke positively loathes cooking, plus it's better than the alternative" Sakura snickered, taking her previous spot and relaxing now that she felt she could do so.

Cee raised a brow "Okay and what would have been the alternative to him cooking" the onyx eyed blonde prodded curiously while Sasuke shuddered, returning just as she had, already knowing what the alternative would have been.

"Getting punched out for his stupid action of charging at his brother like a crazy person" the rosette declared and Asuma bit back his laughter, but the amusement that glimmered in his eyes tipped her off as she grinned widely and laughed.

Oh yes Sasuke was quite terrified of her "What if he dodged though, being a clan kid he would have more stamina and chakra than you" the oblivious younger dark skinned shinobi said scratching his head as he did so while Sakura's temper immediately flared.

This time it was Sasuke's turn to reign in an unruly teammate as she opened her mouth to snap back that she was just as if not better really than any clan child "Sakura" Sasuke warned and her mouth snapped shut but she was clearly not happy with Darui's comment.

It took a moment or two before she managed to speak in a calm tone "Just so you know Darui-san, Sasuke could try to dodge but in the end it would do him little good, I may not be from a clan background but I have raw natural talent that I honed tirelessly for over seven years" Sakura said.

Rather bluntly sure but they got the gist of it "Unfortunately she's right, even when we were all six she was kicking my ass and all the other clan children's asses to in taijutsu, she could run circles around us on laps, throw better, basically do everything better" Sasuke nodded.

Asuma didn't comment but he knew who'd taught Sakura to do all that, Sasori Akasuna and he decided that he would be having words with his Father about what the man had been doing while he was stationed in the Hidden Leaf Village, certain that his Father didn't know.

Little did he know but that was for a later time "Interesting and now I see why the Uchiha Clan Head would be interested to put you in a marriage contract with his child, you would refresh the clan, make it stronger so to speak" Ay nodded in understanding.

While Sakura huffed "But my life and any choices I make are my own, therefor it's moot" she stated then to absolutely no-ones surprise pulled out a book to read, this one on herbs in a country well known to the Hidden Cloud Shinobi.

"Is there a reason your reading about herbs native to Lightning Country" Cee inquired, inching closer to the young girl who'd definitely surprised him earlier at how quickly she'd managed to neutralize the poison in his Kage.

Her gaze flickered up for a brief moment to meet his eyes before she nodded quietly "Just in case, one never knows where they'll be sent on a future mission with a weirdo sensei like Kakashi-sensei after all" Sakura deadpanned.

Minato felt like his brows were about to launch into space at the comment and Asuma chuckled under his breath "That doesn't sound like the Kakashi I know" the former Hokage creased his brow in confusion.

Obviously wondering if it was a different Kakashi entirely "Yeah probably because he became so freaking goofy it's unbelievable, even I have a hard time believing he could be serious about anything considering the hell he's put us through" Sasuke scoffed.

Still a little miffed that Sakura had already known that information and hadn't told him or the knucklehead, Minato simply looked more confused than before "What he means is that from the time we met him, he's been late, by three hours" the rosette sniffed.

"He also made us go through three weeks of torturous D Rank missions, sicked his summons on us and overall tried to drive us batty, by the way lunch is ready" Naruto poked his head into the living room participating in the conversation a little.

Sakura rolled her eyes "Because that's what genin are expected to do, we have to start at the bottom and work our way up remember knucklehead" the pinkette rapped the blonde gently on the head, though there was a twinkle of fondness deep within the depths of her viridian orbs.

Plainly seen by Sasuke "Cause you want to be Hokage which means no shortcuts" the Uchiha smirked, and Naruto's blue eyes flashed with determination as he nodded seriously, all of them missing the surprise Minato showed at the statement.

"Right, right I know but still those D Ranks are awful, if they'd been even remotely more interesting they wouldn't be so bad, but they were boring and I hate that stupid cat Tora more than anything" the youngest blonde shuddered.

Mind flashing back to the ridiculous amount of times they'd had to capture the Daimyo's wife's runaway cat, fortunately Sakura and Sasuke seemed to agree with him on the last one "Are you saying you had to catch a cat for a mission" Darui asked.

Feeling as if it was safe to speak again after nearly getting snapped at earlier "Probably over thirty times and it's always the same cat, Tora's a menace and a freaking escape artist and we always have to come up with something new just to catch him" the fuscia haired girl grumbled.

Looking quite the sight, Asuma choked "Thirty times, not even I'm that cruel, though I did wonder who kept taking that mission any time I thought of trying to get my actual genin to straighten up their acts" Asuma grimaced.

Kakashi was playing as a sadist it seemed and he definitely pitied those kids a bit "Just how is it you got Kakashi Hatake to even be your sensei in the first place I imagine it was quite difficult" Cee inquired more than a little curious.

As was Minato who focused his gaze on the genin, all of whom shared wide grins with one another "He gave us something he called the bell test and tried to pit us against one another" Sasuke began, that moment would be forever etched in his mind after all.

"Of course it wasn't until after he told us that, that we started fake arguing with one another and split up anyway to lower his guard and when he thought he'd had us beat we trapped him in an illusion and knocked him out with knockout gas" Sakura grinned.

"Yeah cause the whole point of the test was to see if we could work together as a team" Naruto bounced earning amused smiles from his teammates, he'd always been excitable, now was no different, even if he could change his personality at the drop of a hat.

Though their answer left the adults with more questions "Knocked him out with knockout gas, trapped him in an illusion how on earth did you manage that" Minato furrowed his brow while Asuma chuckled knowing exactly how probably.

While the genin shared another grin with each other "Kakashi-sensei underestimated us, especially after the staged argument, he thought we were naive, childish newly graduated genin, so after he defeated us so to speak, we teamed up with one another to get the bells" the rosette said.

Emerald orbs twinkling with mischief "So I distracted him with some clones, Sasuke his jutsu and then Sakura caught him in a genjutsu before he could break out though she threw a smoke bomb which had her knockout gas in it thus allowing us to accomplish our task" the blonde finished.

"Even if there were only two bells and he tried to give us some spiel about how only two of us would pass his test" the raven of team seven snorted, not having believed that lie for even a minute it seemed.

Minato frowned, was it just him or was his son being purposefully vague about his and his teammates abilities, he'd thought the boy would be more like Kushina if he was being honest but that wasn't turning out to be the case.

Though he was just a tiny bit amused at the explanation given on how they got Kakashi to be their sensei "Hold on just a minute, if Gato and Zabuza haven't been a threat since day one, then why have you been continuously patrolling" Tazuna suddenly burst out.

Halfway through the meal as they were, looking straight at Sakura who smiled innocently "One can never be to careful, whose to someone else doesn't want to stop you from finishing your bridge, you have to look at all the variables and not just the obvious ones" Sakura announced.

Not sure if she should really say what else she'd been doing especially considering the company they were in, plus she had patrolled, a few times of course to give her cover a little more credibility and she wasn't lying either, anything could happen.

Tazuna blinked, then groaned and slammed his head on the table with a resounding crack "I think you broke my Grandpa" Inari sniggered, warming up immensely to the strangers now that he knew there was no more reason to worry about anything.

And the others simply shook their heads before eating the rest of their afternoon meal "This country from what I've seen of it, seems rather poor, so how did you manage to get all these groceries" just as they'd finished Darui asked another question.

Prompting the genin to raise their hands "We bought groceries enough to last each of us a month and shared them with Tsunami since we're staying here and all" Sasuke answered the question that the man wanted answered.

"Don't look at me, I met them the day of, when we were setting out for the mission, so I didn't tell them to pack or anything, Kakashi didn't either did he" Asuma saw the pointed glance cast his way by the Raikage.

Who was definitely more than a little curious about the genin temporarily under his command and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing right now "No, I just have a bad habit of over-preparing for things" Sakura scoffed.

"Try like crazy bad habit Sakura-chan and you go overboard with it to, ouch mean" Naruto sniggered only to get elbowed, pouting even though it hadn't really hurt, he just liked to tease her sometimes and she knew that given the smile on her lips.

In sync Asuma and Sasuke rolled their eyes "Now, now kids play nice" the Jonin temporarily in charge of them mediated, even if he knew that they didn't really need him to tell them that and that they wouldn't seriously be cruel to one another.

He didn't think they could even if they tried seriously actually to be honest "Your to laid back Asuma, no wonder Nara doesn't get motivated" Sasuke rounded on him in the next moment, a glint in his eyes.

Only to get elbowed "Sasuke, no giving Asuma-sensei lip or else and I'm sure Asuma-sensei would have figured out how to get Shikamaru motivated sooner or later, Choji and Ino-chan to" the pinkette snickered.

"Yeah incentives always work so well with those three, shogi for that lazy ass, food for food-boy and praise for Ino-chan" the youngest blonde ticked off his fingers, giving Asuma all the dirty details basically about his students.

And Asuma himself felt like slamming his head on the table next for not having figured that out and that basically he'd been given the information he wanted on a silver platter so to speak, instead he nodded at them in silent thanks.

Leaving the genin to disappear from the house "Just so you know Sakura, I really thin…." the last thing heard by the adults as the Uchiha of Team Seven started some sort of conversation that she was immediately engrossed in.

"Christ their a handful" Ay let out a sigh himself as he settled on the couch again, his bodyguards taking up the spots on either side of him, Asuma let out an exhausted sigh but didn't deny the statement.

Because they were "Very much so…but I think they grew on Kakashi and their good kids, just bloody complicated" Asuma snorted, getting comfortable himself, glad they'd headed out to spend time together and not driving him crazy.

Though he did have to give them the money he'd promised them from Gato still "Quite the adjective to describe them with" Cee commented curiously, but it didn't look like the man was going to be explaining any time soon.

When the genin came back it was an hour before dinner and they were completely soaked through to the bone "Heavens what on earth were you three doing, how did you get wet, you didn't fall in the ocean did you" Tsunami shrieked.

Rushing to get towels "It was Naruto's fault, he leaned to far over the edge of the unfinished bridge and fell, we were to far away to catch him so Sakura dived after him and I followed soon after and now we all know how to water walk" Sasuke cleared his throat.

Taking the towel that was held out to him "Shouldn't you learn the tree-climbing exercise first" Minato frowned, shooting a look at Asuma, who shrugged, clearly the man didn't know all their abilities himself either.

"Already knew how to, my advanced chakra control class sensei made the whole class practice the tree-climbing technique when I was ten, though it took them a few tries, they got it down in about ten minutes or so" Sakura answered.

By this point Asuma was no longer surprised at the ridiculous training regimen the girl had been on courtesy of Sasori Akasuna, though he was just a tiny bit surprised the boys had got the exercise down, he didn't say anything.

"What's the tree-climbing exercise Sakura-chan" Naruto asked predictably and as the three of them headed up the stairs she began explaining in great detail what the exercise was all about until he was able to fully understand.

They were back ten minutes later and when Tsunami headed for the kitchen Sasuke grudgingly followed her to help out and forty five minutes later, it taking a little while longer since he inept at cooking really dinner was ready.

And afterwards they headed to bed simply tired and exhausted from the days events though Sasuke and Naruto got stuck sharing a room with Minato, leaving the Raikage and his subordinates to share with Asuma, Sakura still had a room to herself.

Before they knew it the bridge was finished, Zabuza and Haku had taken their leave of the little village the day after the Raikage had appeared, so Sakura had been trying to teach the older teenager via summons, but most important of all she was happy to finally be going home after three agonizing weeks away.


	15. Chapter 14

No one but Asuma was prepared for the drastic change the genin made upon leaving behind the little village in the Land of Waves the following morning after the completion of the bridge and of course handing over the money to fund the village.

Leaving quite a lot left to fund the sudden A Rank Mission and give the kids what he'd promised them "Is this normal for them" Minato couldn't help but ask after an hour and the genin hadn't made a peep, he was rather disturbed to be honest.

Considering how open and chatty they usually were "Yep, unfortunately and they'll keep that up all the way home" Asuma nodded, taking a drag from his cigarette as he did so, having refrained as much as possible while they were in the village.

"Right, well at least they aren't useless like most genin brats are" Ay scoffed, just a tiny bit intrigued as he peered over his shoulder and spotted the Uchiha on the genin team doing the same thing, while the blonde brat kept his gaze right and the girl switched between left and forward.

Allowing for nothing to escape their gaze as they walked, scanning their surroundings thoroughly and warily "Agreed, did Kakashi teach them that" Cee inquired, more than a little surprised when Asuma shook his head with a snort.

"Then the sensei at the academy" Darui chimed in, casting his own gaze around just to be sure, missing the grimace on Asuma's face, Minato didn't though and his blue eyes narrowed, wondering if it hadn't been an academy sensei, then who had taught his son the things he knew.

However Asuma said nothing, there were questions he wanted to ask his Father after all without upsetting the genin, and with that they simply continued walking until it was lunch time, he didn't even have to say anything.

The kids merely set up camp quickly and efficiently, not a word passing from their lips "Raikage-sama and Asuma-sensei first" Sakura warned, a second before the food was finished roasting, knowing the two boys on either side of her quite well.

For they would have simply grabbed without thinking of anyone else "Tch…whatever" Sasuke grumbled, acting normal for the first time that day as he waited for the adults to pick out what they wanted from the selection.

Leaving two sticks each for the three of them "I miss ramen" Naruto sighed and in unrehearsed sync Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes at him before they all three fell silent again and once they were done eating camp was broken down and they were on their way again.

Before they knew it, it was nighttime "Don't worry about watch tonight, I'm going to set up some traps" the raven haired Jonin informed when dinner was boiling away over the fire, rabbit stew, Sakura was a scary good shot or so said Naruto and Sasuke anyway.

He'd only seen her throw one weapon since the start of the mission and it had missed it's target "Oi you wouldn't happen to have any extra bedrolls on hand would you, two of them, we lost a couple during the bandit attack" the Raikage barked after the Jonin.

Who shook his head, "Well this is going to be an extremely uncomfortable night" the onyx eyed blonde sighed, wishing he'd managed to save his bedroll before it had gotten destroyed by those idiot bandits.

Minato on the other hand was a little smarter "How about you three, did you bring any extra bedrolls" the former Hokage looked to the genin, Naruto and Sasuke pointed to Sakura, who pulled a scroll out of her pack and handed it over.

"Good grief, you really did go overboard with preparations" the younger dark-skinned male sighed, exhausted but grateful that they did have spare bedrolls, or rather sleeping bags, but that was just fine with him.

With that they focused on keeping an eye on their dinner, Asuma returned just as they called it "Stew is ready, here Asuma-sensei, Raikage-sama" the pinkette smiled, passing over bowls filled with delicious stew to the duo first.

Kept Sasuke and Naruto from being to rambunctious while Minato, Cee and Darui got theirs next, hastily grabbed her own and with a content sigh dug in "Mean why do you do that every time" the blonde sniffled, and she sighed in exasperation.

Even Sasuke knew surprisingly "Common courtesy, it's called being respectful, knucklehead" the raven haired preteen rapped the blonde gently on the head, each of them falling silent again afterwards to eat, then settle down to get some shut eye.

Only to repeat the following morning, they were probably about twenty miles from Leaf, past noon and lunch when trouble caught up with them in the form of a band of bandits and the person they took captive was Sakura.

"If you don't want girly here to die, you'll hand over all your valuables and any money you have on you is that understood" the leader demanded, holding the young girl at weapon point, who merely stared forward with no expression.

Naruto and Sasuke shifted and shot the bandit looks that practically screamed ~your dead~ if it wasn't such a serious situation she would have laughed, but she looked to Asuma, who nodded imperceptibly.

And then it was all out chaos as her hand snapped up, gripped the arm that was holding her and promptly heaved the bandit over her shoulder, before vanishing in the next moment "Phew that was a close one" Sakura emerged a moment later near her teammates from underground.

Brushing dirt from her yukata "Did you just use the headhunter jutsu to escape" Minato asked in the aftermath of the fight, his tone was highly incredulous because he hadn't thought the genin knew any elemental jutsu's in the least.

"Just one of many she practiced, though Sakura-chan finds her other element easier to use" Naruto nodded, knowing because he'd been there and watched her train, alongside him and Sasuke, even if he'd joined them much, much later.

Ocean blue eyes narrowed "I take it that you also know your elements Naruto-san, Sasuke-san" Cee prodded as they continued on their way, leaving the knocked out bandits where they were since they were incapable of doing anyone else harm.

Both boys nodded "Well" Ay demanded when neither boy elaborated, sue him he was curious about the sorts of skills the genin possessed, their elements as well, he knew the girl had earth at the very least but now he wanted to know what else they had.

Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke shared a quick covert look with one another "Fire and Lightning, Naruto has Wind and Sakura, Earth and Water" Sasuke relented reluctantly though because he didn't like explaining what he could do to those that could use his own skills against him.

"Kami and should you learn to work together properly the possibilities are endless" Darui commented, unaware that the genin already knew how to efficiently fight as a team, their temporary sensei knew though.

And that was all that mattered to them "Less than fifteen miles to go" Asuma announced half an hour later, seeing a mountain in the distance, prompting them to all go faster and half past four the lot of them were stood before the red wrought iron gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The genin as one let out collective sighs of relief that nothing else had happened on their mission and quietly signed in at the gates "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, I heard and you can never imagine how sorry I am that you had to go through that" Kakashi appeared less than a moment after their arrival.

When they were getting ready to head down the street to the Hokage Tower and before any of the genin could react their actual sensei was hugging them "Gah Kakashi-sensei we're not babies you know" his blonde haired student whined.

Trying to act like he didn't care when really he did and was definitely enjoying the affection "Dobe is right, you should know us by now at this point" his raven haired student scoffed, stiff but not wholly bothered by his sensei's uncharacteristic action.

But it was Sakura who had the biggest reaction as tears shined in her eyes before her expression went blank "We were fine, Asuma-sensei was pretty good at keeping us safe" the pinkette shrugged, avoiding his gaze as best she could.

Kakashi wasn't as unaware as she thought he was though as he crinkled his eye at her and ruffled her unbound hair "Still I'm glad that you three are safe regardless" the silver haired shinobi said, pleased that none of them were injured.

"Relax Kakashi, it wasn't all that bad despite certain things happening, now we really have to get to the Tower" the brown eyed shinobi cleared his throat after releasing a stream of smoke, tossing down the finished cigarette as he did so.

He knew that Kakashi wasn't about to let them go completely and he was right as the man followed them to the Hokage Tower "Ah, greetings Raikage" Hiruzen stood when the assorted group entered his office.

Ay snorted but went forward anyway and the two shook hands "Hokage, just thought I'd return Namikaze to you" the Raikage grunted, obviously less than pleased about his current situation, but since it was his men who'd found Minato, it was their responsibility regardless of personal feelings.

The Hokage's gaze shifted to the predecessor he never thought he'd see again "Minato-kun, welcome back, regardless of the circumstances, your with us again and that's all that matters" the Third Hokage greeted warmly.

Minato nodded his head in thanks "So what now" the younger dark skinned Cloud Shinobi asked in the silence that followed the initial greetings, the wizened old Hokage gave a start and returned to sitting behind his desk.

"First and foremost congratulations on completing your mission Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, take a week off, you deserve it for working hard, second until Ay-san leaves, I'm placing him in your parents care Sasuke, so if you would take this message and third your pay" Hiruzen began.

Delivering congratulations where it was necessary, giving the genin a small break and handing over their pay "Take those two with you" Ay barked suddenly, sending his subordinates scrambling after the genin as the trio took their leave of the office.

"One last thing, Sakura this came for you" the Hokage stopped the lone girl on the team of all males and held out a letter scroll, Sakura took it quietly in confusion and skedaddled, leaving himself, the Raikage, his son, Minato and Kakashi in the office.

It was highly unusual and he was unprepared for the question his son asked him "Were you aware of Sasori Akasuna's actions while he was stationed undercover here in the Leaf Village" Asuma frowned deeply glad that the kids had left.

They'd grown on him, so sue him if he cared, his Father choked "The bloody hell was a S Class rogue from the Hidden Sand Village doing here in your village" Ay growled, turning a glare on the Hokage as did Minato.

As suddenly everything made sense at the very least to him anyway "Believe me Asuma-kun, I was well aware, he came to me and offered up crucial information on the organization known as Akatsuki" Hiruzen sighed deeply.

"Lord Third how could you even think to even begin to trust such a man like that, who knows what he did while he was here in the Leaf Village" Minato creased his forehead in concern, wondering if the man had pulled some trick.

Hiruzen pressed his lips together "I trust him because he willingly allowed Inoichi to search his head, prevented several catastrophe's here in the village under my command and helped shape your son into the young man he is now" the wizened old man intoned sternly.

Minato drew back as if struck "So you knew that he was training those kids" his son got the conversation back on track and the tension dissipated some to his lucky stars, it didn't mean it hurt any less that Sasori had left though, he'd become a confidant of sorts to be honest.

"Exactly, I got progress reports on them every three months and their growth under his teachings were phenomenal" Hiruzen informed, rifling around in his desk for the reports and set the scroll on his desk when he found it.

During this whole time Kakashi had kept himself silent but there was one question niggling at him "Can I ask why he took interest in training Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun" Kakashi finally asked, glad that he'd followed along while grabbing the scroll before Asuma could, they were his students after all.

He was getting the answers he'd sought at long last, Hiruzen blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe then set it down with a deep sigh, before sealing his office to prevent any eavesdroppers "Because he was from the future and knew how things were going to turn out" the Hokage said.

Raising his hand when they were about to argue that time-travel was impossible "I know how it sounds but it's the truth, his mind was transferred back in time ten years after his defeat at the hands of his grandmother and Sakura-chan" Hiruzen continued.

While Kakashi choked at the admission "That's why he took interest in training Sakura, however Naruto was simply an unexpected for him, I don't think he had any intentions of teaching him until Naruto-kun pestered Sasori to teach him" the Third chuckled.

Flashing back to that day and the annoyed expression the man had been wearing as he informed him that he was taking Naruto on as one of his students as well "As for Sasuke, Fugaku and Mikoto asked Sasori to teach him as he is now the heir to Head the Uchiha Clan" he finished.

There was one last thing to say though "But I believe he genuinely came to care for those three, he blamed himself after all for Sakura's parents disappearance" Hiruzen sighed, nothing he'd said had been able to change Sasori's mind on the matter.

"Blamed himself how, it's not like was involved right" Asuma questioned, not liking how this whole thing was leaving him with more questions to ask than answers he was getting, it seemed he was right how the kids were bloody complicated.

Hiruzen frowned "Not personally but it was his Akatsuki partner that took them, Orochimaru, even then he's not even sure why Orochimaru took them" the Third Hokage admitted, Minato turned on his heel and with Kakashi in tow left, Asuma also took his leave after that.

Which left Ay and they sat and began hopefully talking out their differences at long last, meanwhile the genin of Team Seven during that time had reached the compound and their shared house "You really live together then" Cee raised a brow at the house.

More than a little amused when they nodded with practiced ease in completely unrehearsed sync, simply unlocking the door and undoing the various traps they'd left to protect their home "Don't forget Sasuke to take that message to Fugaku-sama" Sakura reminded.

Clutching the letter scroll she'd been given and still very confused as to who would be sending her letters, surely not Zabuza, he wasn't that foolish was he, then again Zabuza had also taught her jutsu's unique to his village so what did she really know about the rogue.

Sasuke rolled his eyes "Yeah, yeah I know that already Sakura tch...ouch" Sasuke grumbled, leaning away but not fast enough as Sakura's elbow found his side, with a snicker she traipsed in ahead of them.

Sandals already put neatly away "Go on Sasuke, me and Sakura-chan can handle them" Naruto nudged him out the door glad to relax after three and a half weeks, though there was still the issue of their work at T&I and Sakura's extra work at the hospital as well.

They could figure that out later he supposed "Like we need to be handled" Darui snorted in amusement taking up residency on one of the couches in the living room while the kids disappeared to put their things away.

Cee chuckled under his breath, sitting down in an armchair just as the door swung open "Where are they" Minato frowned not seeing the genin as he appeared in the living room seconds later, not even knocking, if need be he'd apologize later.

"Upstairs putting their things away I'd guess, honestly Minato-sensei it's rude to just barge into someone else's home like that you know" Kakashi shook his head at his sensei's antics, though he had no room to talk either.

Seeing as he'd done the same thing, only more politely "Thought you'd leave us alone for our week break" the Uchiha of Team Seven returned five minutes later from informing his parents of their special guests and that they were back from their mission.

That's where good things ended though and somehow he now had the task of informing his housemates of where the Raikage was actually going to be staying "Now, now Sasuke-kun I'm entitled to check up on my students aren't I" the Copy Ninja chided in amusement.

Just then from the stairs a voice piped in "Of course you are Kakashi-sensei, go put your things away Sasuke, I'm just going to get started on dinner" the pinkette was the first to return, sent Sasuke to unpack and promptly disappeared into the kitchen.

"Is it just me or is she a little more open than before" Kakashi blinked, probably having thought that it would be back to the same old antics of before where his students were trying to drive him insane and not being open with him.

Sasuke shrugged when the lone onyx eye focused on him and scrambled up the steps "By the way we're hosting the Raikage and those two here in the house until they leave, Father's command" the raven haired preteen called.

He didn't get an answer but he knew she heard "Guess that's not to bad, at least we know we'll be fed properly here" Darui commented not having moved an inch since he sat down, even if he was curious about the fully stocked bookcase off to the side of him.

Obviously his partner had noticed it as well but curiosity definitely got the better of Cee as the blonde stood and headed towards it "Interesting collection of books you got here" the onyx eyed blonde said, reading the titles and raising a brow at some of them.

"Puppetry, hmm I wonder who could be the owner of those" Minato frowned, having come to inspect the bookshelf himself, trying to figure out which of the genin would have a knack for puppetry but not really come up with a solid answer.

Any of the kids could be compatible having trained under Sasori Akasuna to be honest, just then a screech echoed from the kitchen followed by a crash "DAMN IT SHISUI UCHIHA YOU JERK" Sakura screamed, another crash and then a black and blue blur darted out of the kitchen.

A soaking wet Sakura on the intruders heels "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah can't catch me Sakura-chan" Shisui stuck his tongue out childishly, taunting the girl, and not paying attention to anything else which ultimately led to his own doom as Naruto came flying down the stairs.

The two crashed into one another with a loud echoing crack as they hit the floor "Owww" Naruto whined as he sat up with Sakura's help, followed by the pain going away seconds after, Shisui however was blissfully knocked out from the impact with the floor.

Immediately after this incident "THE HELL WAS THAT" Sasuke yelled from his room, obviously having heard some of the commotion, though when he didn't get an answer he appeared at the top of the stairs only to groan.

Much like Shisui as he finally came to "Ugh that's what I get I suppose" the older Uchiha rubbed the back of his head only to freeze as he felt that death glare being shot at him from less than a foot away from him to be precise.

"You are a bloody menace sometimes, Naruto could have seriously been hurt, what if he'd gotten a concussion or worse got brain damage because of you" Sakura promptly tore into him with a mega scolding.

And Shisui grew paler and paler with every second until finally Sakura stopped to take a breath and focus on healing Naruto "Damn it, I'm sorry Naruto, I can't heal the whole injury" the rosette scowled, shooting another death glare at Shisui as she did so.

"Nah it's okay, a lot better than initially so I'm good but you should heal him to cause he got hurt as well" Naruto waved his hand no longer feeling like he was going to pass out or be sick from being rammed into and nearly knocked out.

Shisui laughed sheepishly "Let me" Cee offered suddenly, having been thoroughly entertained by the scene even if the younger blonde had nearly gotten a concussion from it and it was the older Uchiha's fault.

Five minutes later both injuries were properly healed "Thank you at least there was a competent medic on hand to finish healing us right Sakura-chan" Shisui smiled only to pale as the death glare as he called it intensified and Sakura flushed with anger.

"Excuse me for being incompetent then, I only just started healing people outside the hospital three and a half weeks ago" the fuscia haired girl snipped out, more than a little furious as she stalked her way back into the kitchen to finish her task of cooking dinner.

"Why oh bloody why do I keep messing up and upsetting her" the twenty year old growled, berating himself for his callous words, Sasuke grimaced and edged past him, intent on helping out since they were back home after all.

Naruto simply shook his head "She'll forgive you" the blonde pat the adult on the arm and hurried after his teammate to help out as well, leaving the adults in the living room alone again until the boys were kicked out of the kitchen a moment later.

Obviously Sakura was more than a little upset "Well that went well, since your not busy, perhaps you could show us to some guest rooms" the dark skinned male suggested wanting to have everything ready and set up if they really were going to be staying there for their stay in Leaf.

Both boys nodded solemnly shot Shisui unsympathetic looks and headed up the stairs with the Cloud Shinobi on their heels "Left or right, left is where we have our rooms, right is where Sakura's room is" the raven haired preteen gestured in either direction.

When they came to a split path, a second later the duo chose right, probably the wisest choice really and fifteen minutes later three rooms had been set up, one for each of them including the Raikage who would probably have to be escorted most likely.

Then the four of them were back downstairs "By the way what did you mean why do you keep messing up or upsetting her, have you done other things that have made Sakura-san angry with you like earlier" Minato inquired.

Still wanting to know which of the genin knew puppetry but he figured that could wait til later "Ah…well the first incident I kind of somewhat kidnapped Sakura-chan, she disliked me for a really long time because of that" Shisui sighed.

Flopping down in a chair dramatically while Sasuke cringed in remembrance "Yeah that was right around the time some creepy old dude was hounding her to join some stupid group called root or something and kept sending people after her whenever our tutor wasn't around" Naruto chimed in.

Also remembering, Minato paled as did Kakashi who obviously hadn't known that "He's not still after her is he" the onyx eyed blonde questioned having taken to sitting again in the armchair he'd chosen earlier.

Naruto and Shisui shook their heads "No he was caught, evidence was found of his various crimes" the older Uchiha explained carefully, wearing a pained expression, that day was one of his top five worst days to date, it was the day he'd lost his best friend even if Itachi was still alive.

Kakashi choked yet again as he figured out who'd been after his student when she'd been younger "Danzo, bloody Danzo wanted her to join root, she's not even a clan-child so why" Kakashi rounded on Naruto in the next moment.

Reminding himself not to be to harsh as he questioned the boy as gently as he possibly could "Because Sakura-chan was well very…..natural at everything she learned" the blonde grimaced trying to find the right words and finishing after a minute of thinking.

Before the conversation could continue Sakura emerged from the kitchen "Suppers ready, are the guest rooms set up, three of them" the pinkette informed, looking to her teammates, simultaneously ignoring Shisui.

They nodded, Shisui winced promising to apologize properly later and disappeared, a second later loud knocking erupted on the front door and she hurried to answer it "Raikage-sama…dinner's ready and a guest room is already set up" Sakura greeted.

Expressing very little emotion to his confusion, not that he let it show anyway as he took off his sandals, put them out of the way as was proper and followed her down the hall to the kitchen where a spread of delicious food was waiting for them.

Five plates already made "Mean what if I'd wanted to sit and eat with you guys for once" Kakashi huffed teasingly as he also sat at the table, more chairs having been brought out and situated around it to accommodate the extra's.

Guarded viridian orbs focused on him "Are you hungry Kakashi-sensei" the rosette asked and he quickly shook his head, having already eaten and not wanting to upset her anymore than she'd already been upset by Shisui.

"So….which one of you know puppetry" Minato inquired gently and the boys pointed to Sakura, and here he'd been hoping it was his son, he should have known though, Sakura was quite the chakra control expert it seemed.

Not that they really had seen much of their skills in terms of abilities except for Sakura executing one jutsu, though now they knew Sakura could heal even if it was limited healing "I've got a few puppets to" Sakura smiled lightly.

Prompting Naruto and Sasuke to shudder, even Sakura seemed to cringe at the thought of her puppets because they were creepy even to her "Can we see them" the silver haired jonin questioned and she raised a brow at him.

Before remembering that he hadn't actually seen her puppets in their true form "Sure, though I'll tell you their a little creepy, I've actually been making my own puppet that's why I haven't used them any, but after" the pinkette nodded.

Of course she'd want to eat first "I think puppets are creepy anyway but I get the feeling that's not what you meant" Darui piped in, watching the genin shudder in response, shaking their heads at the same time proving his point.

"You'll see Darui-san" Sakura grimaced, before focusing on her dinner, he raised a brow at her cryptic answer as did the others including the Raikage who was the first one finished actually followed by the others barring Kakashi.

Then once they were seated on pieces of furniture Sakura hurried upstairs to collect the scroll that had her puppets sealed inside "Try not to be to freaked out" Naruto warned knowing that it would be impossible especially with what was about to be revealed.

In a poof of smoke the puppets were laid out in a line "Kami" Kakashi cringed, hastily shutting his visible iris to block out the memory, a moment later the puppets were sealed away again to his relief because that had just been plain wrong.

"Is there a reason they look just like you three" Cee cleared his throat asking another question instead of dwelling on the rather creepy look-alike puppets he'd just seen, Sakura frowned, pausing on the stairs as she did so.

Coming up with an answer "Probably as a joke or something, I'm not really sure to be honest" she finally said after a couple of minutes and five minutes later she was back sitting down on one of the few remaining pieces of furniture left available to finally relax.

And it didn't seem like she was inclined to get up anytime soon after sitting down either so Kakashi stood "On that note I'll see you tomorrow probably" the Copycat Ninja saluted, Minato jumped to his feet as well.

So just before Kakashi body flickered "Goodnight you three, Ay-san, Darui-san, Cee-san" the blonde waved, pressing his hand down on his former students shoulder to be whisked away as well leaving the genin alone with their guests.

They lounged for a little while longer before going to bed "You did say guest rooms had been set up right brat" Ay growled as the kids locked up and set traps to ensure their safety, Sakura glanced to the two boys who gestured right.

"Don't worry we know which rooms we picked" Darui assured seeing the questioning looks until she got a nonverbal answer and headed right, it seemed Naruto and Sasuke hadn't been kidding when they said that her room was separate from theirs.

As they reached the end of the hallway that headed right one of the doors that had been shut earlier now wide open revealing a large bedroom "This one Raikage-sama" Cee pointed, curious, but unwilling to snoop since it would be rude.

Grateful for his own separate room unlike how it had been at Tazuna's, Ay quickly vanished into the room that had been chosen and shut the door "Goodnight then" Sakura blinked as she watched the other two do the same before heading into her own room.

Curious about the letter she'd received and seeing as it was still a little to early to go to bed, grabbed the scroll and disappeared into her secret room where all of her supplies were kept and sat down at the desk to read her letter.

 _~Brat,_

 _Finally found time to send you a message, so let me start with, what the bloody hell were you thinking messing with a rogue like Zabuza Momochi, stupid brat don't make me come back and knock you over the head._

 _For another matter if Uchiha pulls a stupid stunt like that again he'll get the same as you got it, blonde brat surprised me however and if I were there I'd give him a reward, nevertheless I am proud of all three of you for becoming genin._

 _I wish I could be there for you all, as a proper sensei to you, but I can't reveal my true feelings or my mission will be compromised, don't give up on looking for your parents brat, their out there still I know it._

 _Farewell~_

There was no signature but she knew instantly who the letter was from, tears blurred her eyes and a quiet sob escaped her mouth, after a moment she was able to collect herself, she tied the letter with the ribbon and hid it away in the desk with the other one.

Beyond exhausted now Sakura trudged from her secret room, dressed in her usual and flopped face first down on her humongous bed, getting as comfortable as she could in her unusual position before finally drifting into a light sleep.

~The Following Morning~

Ay was unsurprisingly the first one to awaken at 6'oclock in the morning to his frustration because he'd hoped to get a little more sleep in and because he wasn't much of a cook and he wasn't about to go poking about looking for food in another person's house without permission.

He could however head downstairs so after dressing properly for the day did that very thing, he'd literally just sat down on the couch when the lone girl padded down the stairs, her face was like stone and her eyes betrayed nothing.

She nearly walked right past him before she noticed him sitting there "Raikage-sama" Sakura greeted in a flat voice, she wasn't even expressing feelings now and damn if it didn't bother him as she continued on her way into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Less than ten minutes later the raven of Team Seven appeared "Early risers" Ay couldn't help but comment, onyx orbs snapped to him before Sasuke nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, only to be kicked out once again.

"The hell, kami I hope she's not still upset from yesterday otherwise today's going to be a pain to get through" Sasuke furrowed his brow, basically mumbling to himself, as he took a seat on the couch and tried to think of anything that might have upset his teammate further.

Next to fly down the stairs was the knuckleheaded blonde and he to headed into the kitchen, but like Sasuke was thrown out "Sakura-chan's scary this morning I see" Naruto shuddered, having seen his teammates non-expression, which was more frightening than anything else.

Eighteen minutes after that Sakura appeared and gestured into the kitchen indicating breakfast was done "Are you going to eat" the Uchiha asked when he saw her heading for the door and not into the kitchen like they were.

Sakura shook her head "Have some things to do, I will when I get back" the pinkette intoned quietly in an emotionless voice then after tugging on her sandals was gone out the door without another word, leaving him to head into the kitchen with a long suffering sigh.

"Okay what's going on you didn't do something did you Teme" the blonde of Team Seven frowned when after staring at the doorway that led into the living room for a moment and Sakura still hadn't appeared for breakfast.

"Wrong, brat was like that when she came down after I did" the Raikage shook his head, digging in to the morning meal, it was still just as good as dinner had been, even if the brat who'd made it was having some sort of problem.

~Meanwhile~

Upon stepping foot outside Team Seven's shared house minus their sensei Sakura turned on her heel and headed down the streets of the empty compound out to the rest of the village eventually and onward to the Hokage Tower.

It was all to easy to get a meeting with the Hokage since it was so early and fifteen minutes after she was stood before the Third "Sakura-chan what are you doing here so early in the morning, I thought you'd sleep in" Hiruzen frowned seeing the young girl.

She was quiet for a moment, collecting her thoughts no doubt "I…I read the letter, and if anymore like that come I don't want them, I'm much to hurt and angry to really appreciate getting anything from him right now" Sakura breathed out eventually.

Hurt and anger coloring her tone at long last and instantly Hiruzen knew who she was talking about "Ah so it was from him, I see and I understand, are you sure though, despite everything Sasori-kun still cares for you three, you most of all" the wizened old man nodded solemnly.

Gauging her reaction carefully, this time anger glinted in her jade irises "Pretty sure Hokage-sama, he left me/us and I'm not ready to forgive him" the rosette jutted out her chin defiantly becoming the headstrong girl Sasori always called her in private.

"Very well then Sakura-chan, any I get will be kept safe until your ready, all you have to do is say the word" Hiruzen relented reluctantly, with that Sakura stood, bowed properly, didn't wait for a dismissal and was out the door to his office seconds after, he sighed sadly but resumed work.

Next on her agenda was meeting with the Head Medic, again it was all to easy as she informed the woman of her week break courtesy their Hokage before she was heading down the streets to T&I "What's Sakura-san doing up so early" along the way she was spotted by a familiar duo.

Minato and Kakashi as they to were out and about early that morning "Dunno….kami please tell me she's not heading where I think she's heading" Kakashi frowned for a moment only to realize the direction his female student was going.

Hoping he was wrong but alas his plea went unheard as Sakura entered T&I HQ to Minato's horror as well, meanwhile inside Sakura was immediately led down the halls to Ibiki's office where she knocked firmly but quietly.

Until a familiar harsh voice echoed out into the hallway "Come in stupid brat I know it's you, even though your getting better at suppressing your chakra" Ibiki growled from the other side and she quickly opened the door to his office.

"Ibiki-sensei…we got back from our mission yesterday, Hokage-sama gave us a week off, just thought you'd like to know" Sakura intoned politely struggling to express herself because soon she'd be back at the house with the others.

The Head Interrogator rolled his eyes "Whatever, welcome back, you didn't fail did you…good I would have made you work five times harder if you had or if you'd come back with injuries" the tall dark imposing man snorted.

Sakura managed a smile at that she was about to tell him that she was going back now when the door flew open and slammed loudly into the wall followed by arms wrapping around her shoulders "PINKY YOUR BACK" another familiar voice practically yelled in her ear.

Nearly bursting her eardrums "Mm Naruto and Sasuke to Anko-sensei" the rosette hummed softly, finally letting her features soften if only a little, Anko released her a moment later only to be swung around for a proper hug.

"You coming back to work today or….not quitting are you" Anko narrowed her soft brown eyes when the little brat she was fond of shook her head, for both questions to her relief because she actually liked hanging around the younger girl.

Who had a sharp tongue and a high IQ while still being fun to verbally spar with sometimes "Hokage-sama gave us a week break from doing such a good job on the mission" Sakura smiled, letting her usual walls down and being extremely open with the duo.

Until she was kicked out of T&I four minutes later by an irate Ibiki, Anko cackling hysterically as she sat at her desk, upon exiting T&I though Sakura promptly ran into someone "You know I thought you three were pulling my leg when you said you part-timed at T&I" Kakashi deadpanned.

Extremely miffed that he still barely knew anything about his students, his companion however didn't take that news well "My son works at T&I, how could you allow that Kakashi" the former Hokage glowered at his student.

Before realizing who he'd said that in front of "Thought so, you look so alike after all, someone would have to be blind to miss those similarities" the fuscia haired girl commented not particularly surprised, having already guessed at the relation between the blue eyed blonde duo.

Minato smiled awkwardly while Kakashi chuckled in amusement "But why T&I, surely there are several other places that could use your talents" Minato frowned unhappy with the situation at hand, even if he was learning things.

"Perhaps Lord Fourth however it was originally me that Ibiki-sensei reserved a spot at T&I for, Naruto and Sasuke simply copied me and here we all are" Sakura rolled her eyes in exasperation managing more expressions and emotions now than when she'd woken.

Kakashi rubbed a hand tiredly across his face "Just so you know if I'd known I wouldn't have let it happen or at the very least I would have gone with them to ensure they weren't learning any torture techniques" the Copy Ninja pointed out to his former sensei.

While Sakura bristled "For your information Kakashi-sensei, Ibiki-sensei and Anko-sensei have only been teaching us interrogation tactics so far or if their feeling particularly cantankerous, they have us organizing the archives and even paperwork" the pinkette huffed in a put out tone.

"Really that's it, just interrogation" the blonde Hokage questioned curiously as they began walking in the direction of the compound, Sakura nodded, shot a half-hearted glare at her sensei with no heat behind it and opened the gates, allowing them through as well.

Even her sensei was surprised "Yeah and we're not participating much, I did get to ask someone like one question once but other than that nothing, and those two flap their jaws all the time" Sakura snorted.

Thinking fondly of her teammates as they reached the house "There you are Sakura-san those boys were getting worried" Cee greeted her in the foyer putting on his sandals, though at the sight of her quickly put them back where he'd had them.

Obviously having gotten tired of the pitiful expressions Naruto was sporting at her absence "Sorry had a few things to do and then I ran into these two" Sakura smiled lightly kicking off her sandals and putting them away neatly.

Cee stood, glanced at the males that had followed Sakura back home, then turned on his heel leading the way into the living room "Where did you wander off to so early" Darui waved from his position on the couch, reading a book from her expansive collection.

"Had a few things to do" the rosette explained before disappearing into the kitchen without elaborating to his frustration, Cee's as well if the look on his face was anything to go by, while their Raikage simply looked relieved about something.

Ay stood though "Got some things to go over with the Hokage" the Raikage grunted out, heading out the door without another word to anyone, especially not the little brat that bothered him the most for some reason.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura was back in the living room with Naruto and Sasuke on her heels "Well now what" Naruto questioned as the lot of them sat down including Kakashi and Minato, both of whom had been quiet since entering the house.

Minato chuckled under his breath "You mentioned you were making your own puppet, care to show us so long as it's not as shocking as those other three you have" the onyx eyed blonde asked suddenly, having been curious until now.

Viridian orbs snapped to him "I haven't quite put it together yet, seeing as I've had to figure out everything on my own so far" the pinkette admitted, making a face as she did so, Sasuke let out a near silent sigh of relief at her expressiveness now unlike how she'd been earlier.

"I thought he would have taught you Sakura-chan" the silver haired Jonin in charge of them frowned, hinting at the fact that he knew who she'd been taught by for the entire time she'd been in the academy, Naruto as well.

Sakura pulled another face "No, it was supposed to be the next thing he would have taught me after academy graduation" Sakura scowled, glaring furiously at the floor at the thought of that person who she was seriously pissed off at.

Sasuke blinked then paled quickly getting out of the line of fire in case she turned on him next "Uh whose this he your talking about" the dark skinned cloud shinobi prodded, having been left in the dark like Cee who was equally as curious.

The Fourth Hokage looked at him and shook his head mouthing later at him "Either way I bet he'd been super surprised at how quickly you picked up the chakra string technique right Sakura-chan" the younger blonde in the room was oblivious though.

As he grinned from ear to ear and nudged his teammate gently in the side, Sakura let her gaze soften "Sure Naruto" the pinkette not sounding to enthused about telling their shared private sensei anything which was again missed by Naruto.

"But I can show you what the end result of what my puppets supposed to look like, I drew the schematics myself" Sakura turned back to Cee who'd initially asked the question the man nodded and she was gone for a few minutes.

Returning with a rolled up scroll that she handed to Cee "Interesting design" Cee commented, brow raised at the unique puppet that had been drawn and that Sakura was working on, how long it would take her to finish it though remained to be seen.

"Come to think of it Sakura-chan, Asuma said something interesting that you have a huge herb supply, and that ninety percent of the herbs weren't native to Fire Country, may we see your collection of herbs" Kakashi piped in with another question.

Sakura eyed him for a moment then shrugged in answer gesturing for them to follow her, even Darui as she led them up the stairs and to Minato's horror into a bedroom that he immediately surmised was hers.

The most shocking part of it all though was when Sakura turned and headed into her closet "Surely you don't have all your herbs in that itty bitty…..is that another room, inside your closet" Darui began with a frown only to look extremely surprised.

When Sakura pulled open a door leading into a secret room, a door that he hadn't even noticed upon his cursory glance "Mhm, it was all boarded up when we moved in but I was curious and so I turned it into a room to store all my gear and supplies" the rose haired kunoichi smiled.

Peridot orbs gleaming with excitement and pride as she happily showed off her secret room "Very interesting" Minato cleared his throat just a tiny bit uncomfortable, even if they were no longer in what was considered her bedroom.

"And here's my herb collection both medical and poisonous, I don't use the poisonous herbs very much because I'm not in the habit of poisoning people with intent" Sakura pointed out, gesturing to a collection of bags that filled a metal cupboard.

Cee wandered over to it and began shifting through the bags that had been painstakingly labeled no doubt "Some of these herbs are very rare and not even native to Fire Country, how did you get them" the onyx eyed blonde finally turned after some time, speaking an in incredulous tone.

Minato shook his head when Sakura pressed her lips together "Our tutor left them to me as a reward for graduating" the pinkette informed, glancing to the boys on either side of her as she did so, indicating they'd also received private instruction.

What she didn't say was the man's name which irritated him somewhat "Moving on that's quite the collection of weapons as well" the dark skinned Cloud shinobi spotted what else was in the room along another wall.

Weapons of all sorts "Yeah our collection isn't nearly as impressive but that's only because Sakura-chan is compatible with all sorts of different weapons and quickly learned how to wield different types" the younger blonde chimed in.

Pulling out his custom ordered weapon and proudly showing it off, he kept it on him at all times after all like Sakura did hers "He's not the only one with a unique weapon" the raven haired preteen smirked, unsheathing his own dagger.

And feeling the curious stares Sakura grasped her ear dagger where it was strapped to her inner thigh "How come you've never used them during our training sessions" the silver haired jonin that was their sensei sulked.

More so when Sakura giggled lightly at him "Their for self-defense in emergency situations isn't that right Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, Sakura-san" the older blue eyed blonde said before they could and the genin nodded in answer.

Then it was back downstairs, Sakura even went so far as to bring down her puppet to work on it as the lot of them settled around on pieces of furniture to relax and read for a little while and at exactly 11'oclock Naruto stood up.

"My turn you know" Naruto declared charging ahead of Sakura who had also stood since it was time to make lunch, Sakura huffed but sat back down, emerald orbs twinkling with humor at his antics while Sasuke snorted.

Raising his gaze from the book he'd been reading "He's just going to make ramen so don't be to excited for a regular meal" Sasuke commented to no one in particular then resumed reading followed by a cheery tune floating from the kitchen.

Naruto was a whistler it seemed "Does that normally happen" Minato questioned only moderately surprised this time, Naruto was Kushina's son after all, of course the boy would be as obsessed with ramen as his mother had been.

Sasuke nodded his head "Yeah, he's pretty good at making the homemade kind so it'll be good at the very least" Sakura smiled lightly, casting a fond glance in the direction of the kitchen as she did so, clearly very fond of Naruto.

Just as Ay returned Naruto declared their afternoon meal ready to eat "Wow Naruto-kun you really outdid yourself" Kakashi whistled even if it was ramen, it looked just as good as the ramen Teuchi made at Ichiraku.

And it tasted just as good as well once he'd taken a bite of it "Blonde brat made this" Ay asked in confusion, eyeing the food dubiously, and the blonde nodded his head eagerly only to sulk when he shifted his gaze to Sakura.

"She didn't help him Raikage-sama, nor did Sasuke or anyone else" Cee informed politely, deciding he liked the afternoon meal after a couple bites just to make sure and wanting the boy to have credit where it was due for working a whole hour to make it for them.

Ay shrugged but dug in "By the way we're probably going to go out for a bit after this, stretch our legs and whatnot" Darui piped in letting their hosts know that he and Cee were going to go walk around for a little while so they weren't wholly lazy the entire time they were in Leaf.

It didn't seem the genin were to bothered by his admission as they seemed to agree taking a little walk was a great idea "We could get some things we need for the house while we're out" the knuckleheaded Uzumaki suggested.

Handing over a list of things they were out of or things they needed to replace that had gone bad during their absence "Good idea Naruto it'll keep us busy for a bit" the rosette nodded taking the list and stowing it in a pocket.

Kakashi eyed his students in exasperation "I don't think I'll ever understand you three" the Copy Ninja finally sighed, he could read all the reports he wanted about them probably and still never understand Naruto or Sasuke and most especially Sakura.

"Probably not Kakashi but it's to late to back out now when we've come this far as your students" the Uchiha shrugged, hoping the man wasn't changing his mind about accepting them as his first official students.

He wasn't sure Sakura would be able to cope with that loss especially since it seemed she was opening up to Kakashi "I don't think that's what Kakashi-kun meant right" the former Hokage chimed in seeing the glint of worry.

And wanting to put the genin's mind at ease "He was simply saying you brats are to complicated for him to ever really truly understand" the Raikage butt in polishing off his fourth bowl of ramen, since the boy had made a huge pot.

With that he deposited his dishes in the sink and was gone back to the Tower to talk more with the Third "Let's go then since your intent on walking Darui" the onyx eyed blonde sighed, finishing his own ramen, just two bowls unlike the others.

Who had either had three or four in Naruto's case "Right" the remaining dark skinned man nodded, grabbing some weapons to keep on him while they were walking around and almost immediately the genin split up from them going shopping.

By the time they returned their leader was back as well and Sasuke was absent this time and the smell of tomatoes wafted through the house, Kakashi and Minato were no where to be found, Naruto was reading a book and Sakura was still working on her puppet.

Then dinner was ready and they all found out it was tomato soup with salad, balancing out the unhealthy meal of earlier with something healthy and after cleaning up after themselves and lounging around for a bit longer they all went to bed.


	16. Chapter 15

Before they knew it, their week break was over and it was finally back to the normal grind of training and missions "Joy" Sasuke grimaced the morning of as he made sure everything was in its proper place.

It didn't help when Sakura let out infectious giggles "Come now Sasuke we only have to wait three hours" Sakura giggled, eyes twinkling with laughter, even if she would be about as frustrated as he was here soon.

One of their guests raised a brow at the comment "Didn't he say eight so why are you saying you have to wait three hours" Cee inquired, the three of them still in Leaf because treaty talks were going well surprisingly.

"Kakashi-sensei's going to be late, always has been" Naruto deadpanned, checking his pouch one last time, with that the three teammates traipsed out the door leaving two of their guests alone as they headed towards their team training grounds.

Cee shook his head with a roll of his eyes "No wonder those kids are so nonsensical sometimes" Darui snorted, they still hadn't been told so he didn't know that he was so far off the mark that it was actually unbelievable.

~Meanwhile~

The genin of Team Seven had made it to their usual field and settled in some shade to wait, imagine their surprise though when a plume of smoke disrupted their vision fifteen minutes later and out of the smoke came their sensei.

Minato stood at his side "What's the matter you three" Minato questioned when the kids stared at their sensei in astonishment, like they'd never seen him before, just then Kakashi began laughing as he realized why they were so shocked.

"Because this is probably the first time I've ever been so early to one of our training sessions, I figured it was about time to start taking this seriously, you asked it of me after all so I expect the same out of you understood" Kakashi chuckled, adding the last bit rather seriously.

And they all nodded their heads in understanding "Right then, why don't we start by having you try to take down one of my clones, I expect to see above standard teamwork and you have three hours to do it" the Copy Ninja flew through a set of hand signs.

Quickly making a shadow clone of himself, his students promptly disappeared into the forest, clone on their heels "A bit much don't you think Kakashi, even a shadow clone of yourself would be out of their leagues" the remaining blonde frowned, but Kakashi said nothing.

During this time Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had found a place to hide, complete with chakra suppression, sound proofing and cloaking tags activated, the Kakashi shadow clone running right by them to their relief.

Which gave them time to come up with a solid plan "So how are we going to do this, our original plan is out cause Kakashi-sensei would be leery of it" the knuckleheaded Uzumaki asked of his teammates as he cast a wary glance at their surroundings.

"Good question, how good are you at those seals Naruto" the raven haired Uchiha furrowed his brow in thought before an idea hit him, Naruto raised a brow but answered properly "Can you make one of your clones have the same chakra signature as Sakura does" the preteen inquired.

Naruto grinned widely already catching on to the plan that was being formed "Nice Sasuke, why don't you make one for Sasuke as well, our clones can be the bait that also lure Kakashi-sensei out in the open which will allow us to catch him" the rosette rubbed her hands together in excitement.

Plotting another one of her no doubt diabolical plans to their amusement "Finished" Naruto announced moments later making three clones two of which transformed followed by a seal being attached to them that changed their chakra signatures.

"Okay next Sakura you go get in place, take these with you, actually scratch that you can use the water clone jutsu right Sakura…make one and switch it with the transformed shadow clone, Naruto you understand what you have to do now right" Sasuke smirked.

Tweaking the plan a little bit as he suddenly realized "Try not to make things to complicated Sasuke" Sakura rolled her eyes with a giggle but flashed through the hand signs necessary until a water clone of herself was at her side.

Followed by a seal that made it possible for it to go a long distance away from her instead of the standard distance water clones could go, then she took the extra chakra suppression and soundproofing seals and disappeared underground.

Leaving them to start executing their plan "Well there you three are" the Kakashi clone appeared almost immediately after they'd taken down their safety measures, Naruto made his eyes go wide in surprise at his quick appearance.

"Dobe duck now" the Uchiha on Team Seven commanded, flying through a set of his own hand signs "Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu" and just as Naruto hit the ground a giant fireball sailed over his body to which he hastily scrambled backwards once he was clear.

Sasuke threw down a smoke bomb in that same instant as the clones distracted Kakashi, allowing them to find another place to hide "Phew that was really close Teme, what would have happened if I'd gotten burned" the blonde scowled once they were safe.

"Relax knucklehead I aimed higher on purpose so you wouldn't get burned but I am sorry if you felt it was a little to close for comfort" Sasuke grimaced, subtly looking his teammate over just to assure himself and sighed quietly in relief when he spotted nothing out of place.

The Uzumaki let out his own sigh "Yeah, yeah and now all we have to do is wait until Kakashi-sensei's in place out on the field again to execute the rest of the plan" Naruto grinned, excited to see the finished tactic.

Meanwhile the Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura clones were giving the Kakashi clone the runaround for sure as they kept narrowly escaping from him to his utter frustration unaware they were letting him keep up on purpose.

Until they were on the field again "Mm I expected a little more out of you three" the real Kakashi sighed having hoped they would actually get serious for once but apparently that was to much to ask of his students.

Who flopped down dramatically acting like they were completely out of breath lowering his guard and underestimating them once again "What did I tell you Kakashi-kun even a clone is out of their leagues" Minato shook his head at his former students antics.

Also underestimating the genin until they smiled, followed by a combined fire and wind jutsu flying at the Kakashi clone, it whipped around running through some hand signs "Gonna have to do better than that kids, Suiton: Waterwall Jutsu" the clone called out.

Finishing the hand signs as the jutsu neared, what happened next though was not something he was expecting in the least as all manners of weapons sailed through the wall of water, keeping him distracted completely.

Which led to his doom "Doton: Headhunter Jutsu" for below a familiar voice rang out and he felt his legs get snagged and then he was dragged into an earthen prison, Sakura was quick as she rounded on him and with a solid punch he existed no longer.

The clones of themselves vanishing in poofs of smoke or in her case a puddle of water, their task complete as the real Naruto and Sasuke joined her before their real sensei "Well Kakashi-sensei we beat your clone in less than an hour, was that serious enough for you" Sakura smiled innocently.

And Kakashi stood there gaping at them through his ridiculous mask even Minato was shocked and that was saying something "You beat my clone" the silver haired Jonin said after several minutes of utter silence.

"Mhm with a plan we came up with on the spot and a little bit of improvised acting of course, honestly Kakashi-sensei did you really think we'd be that out of breath to the point where it seemed like we were going to fail" the pinkette snickered unsympathetically.

He should have known them better or their acting was getting better to the point he couldn't tell if they were faking any longer "Bwahaha your face Kakashi-sensei, anyway was that it" the blonde Uzumaki laughed seeing the shock plain to see on his sensei's face still.

"Seems we both underestimated them huh Kakashi-kun" the older blonde on the field chuckled admitting that he was wrong for once and suddenly he was grateful to Sasori Akasuna for teaching his son how to be a proper shinobi even if he was still ridiculous sometimes.

Sasuke smirked quietly "Well are you going to congratulate us on a task well done or not Kakashi" the raven huffed when the silence stretched on a little to long in their minds and finally Kakashi snapped out of his shocked daze.

Clearing his throat as he did so "Err right then well done you've proven to me that you do know how to take your career serious so against my better judgement I've got another C Rank Mission for you that will take awhile to complete alongside some D Ranks" Kakashi informed.

Holding out a color coded scroll specifically meant for C Rank Missions that Sakura took carefully and unrolled Naruto and Sasuke scooting in to read it alongside her "Act in an amateur movie" Sasuke read off incredulously.

Not sure how to feel about the newest mission "Could be fun never know Sasuke, plus we're already pretty good at acting anyway" Naruto shrugged indifferent about the mission and even a tiny bit excited to see how good he actually was.

"We'll take it then Kakashi-sensei" Sakura grinned handing the mission scroll back to their sensei, once she'd gotten confirmation nods from her teammates, with that they were led from the training field and deep into the village.

The sight the movie was being filmed at quite far to their surprise and once Kakashi explained to the director that they were taking his mission request each of them promptly received books that they had to memorize in full.

"Do you know what the movie's about" Minato questioned curiously as they trekked back to the other side of the village, Sakura who was about four pages in to the book she'd gotten looked up and met his gaze.

Answering after a moment "Apparently it's a drama so far of two friends that have their first ever fight, I'm guessing at the end they make up with one another, I haven't read to far yet" the rosette explained, an excited gleam etched into her eyes at the prospect of acting for real in a movie.

Even if it was an amateur movie and probably wouldn't get to much publicity it would still be fun "In any case if you don't have anything else lined up for us Kakashi, the three of us have part time at T&I today, Morino and Mitarashi demanded it" the Uchiha scoffed.

Though he was just as interested in the plot of the movie, he stowed away his book and shoved his hands in his pocket "Very well, see you later then Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan" the Copy Ninja sighed and his sensei shook his head again.

"Let's go then" the blonde knucklehead practically shouted, grabbing his teammates wrists and dragging them after him without another word to his sensei though Sakura did wave before the three of them disappeared around a corner.

Minato chuckled "Quite the handful those three are" the former Hokage commented just glad that he even had this chance to get to know his almost teenaged son and his best friends, it did bother him a little though that Naruto didn't hang out with anyone else except for Sasuke and Sakura.

With that the two of them continued to walk leisurely around the village, meanwhile Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto reached their destination "Ah back to work I see" Tonbo growled from behind the desk as they appeared after a month long absence.

They nodded their heads, signed in on the sheet he held out, then skedaddled down the hall to Ibiki's office "No interrogations today, you've got the lovely job of organizing this cabinet, the entirety of it before you leave no objections" Ibiki informed harshly.

Once they were stood before him "And I'll be supervising to make sure you brats don't goof off or accidentally destroy important documents, he's got a torture session" Anko roughly threw herself down in a chair as the genin brats each grabbed a drawer.

Ibiki stayed for a minute to make sure they were actually doing what he'd asked of them then exited his office "So how did your mission to wherever go" the purple haired interrogator questioned almost immediately.

Not as stiff as her commanding officer was "Just fine Mitarashi, we weren't near death or anything if that's what your wondering about" Sasuke snorted quietly, casting a wary glance at the door because he certainly didn't want Ibiki coming back in there and finding them yacking.

"Pity…kidding, kidding don't get your panties in a twist Uchiha, it's good nothing of that magnitude happened" Anko cackled in amusement for a moment watching Sasuke scowl at her comment, before turning a little more serious, they'd heard of course what had really happened.

But it seemed the kids were keeping their mouths shut about the details like the Hokage had told them "Ahaha she got you there Sasuke and yeah we're glad to" Naruto laughed under his breath, having to focus a lot more than his teammates.

Since paperwork was not his forte in the least, he wasn't as good at organizing as Sasuke or Sakura were anyway "Honestly Sasuke when are you going to learn not to take Anko-sensei's comments at face value" Sakura snickered.

Unsympathetic of Sasuke who rolled his eyes at her, Anko snorted "More like learn not to let me get under your skin is more like it but whatever now stop yacking and start working" the purple haired woman barked.

Leaning back in her chair and getting comfortable while the kiddies did all the hard work, by the time it was one and their guts were beginning to rumble in hunger they were done "Phew thought we wouldn't get it done like Ibiki-sensei wanted us to" the blonde sighed in relief.

Stretching his limbs out from sitting for over four hours in the same position doing the same thing during that entire time "Barely if it weren't for miss overachiever over there we wouldn't have" the raven on the team snorted.

Pointing to Sakura who'd done the most organizing out of all of them "Can't help it that I'm good with my hands Sasuke" the fuscia haired girl huffed at his teasing reaching for the door missing the stormy chakra headed their way to late.

Anko barely got to her in time before she was flattened by the door being slammed open "Stupid Scar-head watch it you nearly hurt the brat with your fit" Anko snapped not wanting to see the kids quit on them if one of them got hurt.

Ibiki froze since in his anger he'd forgotten that the genin were still there, just finishing up or getting ready to leave most likely since it was that time "Forgive me, you weren't hurt were you" the Head of T&I questioned.

Trying to look apologetic, Sakura shook her head "Anko-sensei got me out of the way, anyway it's all organized nice and neat, plus it's time to go so we'll see you day after tomorrow Ibiki-sensei" Sakura informed politely.

Not asking for anything more since the man had actually apologized "Yeah, see you then Morino, Mitarashi" Sasuke shrugged leading Sakura out the door first by her shoulders and keeping an eye out for any more infuriated people that might try to accidentally crush Sakura with a door.

"Hey you know I've been wondering since we've actually gotten better with our chakra control if we could try learning medical ninjutsu at the hospital again" Naruto piped in the last thing the torture interrogators heard before the door shut and the trio were out of eavesdropping distance.

As they headed from T&I and down the streets to the practically deserted Uchiha Compound "Freaking brats where the hell were you for lunch, had to get Uchiha to get take out since we don't know where any restaurants are in the village" Ay growled.

The moment they walked through the door "Had part-time work at T&I and training with our sensei you know" the blonde announced, slightly cowering behind Sakura at the aggressive stance the Raikage was in.

It was about the only thing that got to him nowadays because it always reminded him of when people would hit him when he'd been a child "This whole time" the Raikage snapped and the genin nodded their heads.

"Precisely except for the first hour, then Kakashi gave us a new mission and we had to walk clear to the other side of the village which took quite a bit of time, then we had to walk clear back and start work at our part-time job" the current heir of the Uchiha clan ticked off his fingers.

Ay rolled his eyes at their antics "But as for your question Naruto I'm sure they'd give you another chance if you asked" the pinkette said answering some question Naruto must have asked before they'd gotten home.

While simultaneously unstrapping her sandals and putting them in their usual spot, with a sigh Ay turned on his heel and headed back into the living room "Look who's back finally" Darui frowned, having been worried somewhat at their prolonged absence.

"Sorry we were busy with work, training, missions and part-time work, next time we'll make something just in case" Sakura sighed, disappearing into the kitchen only to find extra food had been left from what had been gotten from a restaurant for them.

Darui furrowed his brow "You said T&I…you don't mean the Torture and Interrogation unit do you" Cee caught on surprisingly quick in the next moment, following the genin into the kitchen as he did so as they made up their plates and warmed the food to eat it.

"One and the same, today we had to file an entire cabinet that was completely unorganized that's what took so long really believe it" Naruto groaned, hands a little sore, but hungry and unwilling to go without until it was dinner.

Cee frowned much like his partner had "No torture sessions, we get to watch light interrogation sessions, organize paperwork or the archives depending on how our superiors feel the days we go in and it's not everyday" Sasuke scoffed.

Elaborating to ease their minds just glad to get something in his stomach so it would stop growling at him "Ah finally made it back from wherever I see" Shisui popped into the kitchen seconds later with a laugh at his baby cousin and his teammates.

Sasuke rounded on him but Sakura tapped his shoulder "You know as well as we do Shisui that you knew where we were, you could have told them that so they didn't worry" the rosette snipped out, more than a little irritated with the man.

Shisui sighed "Sheesh no nonsense is what you are Sakura-chan, anyway I came to let you know Mikoto-sama wants you all to have dinner over yonder if you catch my drift, skipping isn't an option be warned" then the twenty year old was gone without another word.

Having delivered his message, Sasuke grumbled under his breath "Yay" the raven cheered in fake enthusiasm because his mother wouldn't allow for any slip ups in his etiquette, Sakura wasn't near as strict after all and he would have to wear his fancy clothing.

Like his teammates who were wards of the clan "Basically it's like a formal dinner that's why he's huffing like that and we have to wear formal wear" the blonde sniggered, kinda looking forward to the dinner but explaining for the Cloud Shinobi who were confused.

Ay shook his head with a snort "Let me guess their doing it for our sake" the onyx eyed blonde hazarded a guess and the genin nodded in answer, none of them were arguing though and he wondered what it was about the Uchiha Matriarch that had them doing whatever she asked.

"Why did Uchiha say skipping wasn't optional, have you tried to skip before" the younger dark skinned male prodded, still trying to figure out the kids after nearly three weeks of knowing them, it was frustrating simply put.

Naruto raised his head from his book as they had all cleaned up and moved into the living room "We wouldn't dare but Sasuke's mom is scary when angry and we really don't want her using the shuriken jutsu on us, she's the best of the best at it" Naruto informed with a shudder.

On the other hand Sasuke's scowl deepened as he was reminded of who else was good at the shuriken jutsu "Oh so basically you wouldn't dare ignore an order from your mother" Ay got the gist of what the genin were hinting at.

Prompting another nod, followed by silence descending upon the living room as the genin got absorbed in their identical looking books "Is there a reason your all three reading the same book" Cee asked tired of wondering several minutes later.

"Latest mission, we're going to be acting in an amateur movie so have to memorize all the lines and understand the plot like the back of our ha…." Sakura began answering his question only to freeze as she read something in the book.

Then to their surprise, her face turned scarlet in a matter of seconds and the book was practically slammed shut and set on the table "Sakura what's the matter" Sasuke frowned at her unusual actions and because he'd never seen her turn red like that before.

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and stood "Gonna go find Kakashi-sensei, I don't think he realized what we'd be getting into with this acting mission" she hissed practically vanishing out the door in the next moment.

Confused Naruto and Sasuke flipped through their book to the end having been paying attention to where Sakura was in reading her own only to have nearly the same reaction "What is it" Darui asked seeing their faces color with embarrassment as well.

"Errrrrrrr….there's a kiss scene when the two friends make up with one another" Naruto laughed in an awkward tone while staring at the book in horror because he didn't know what part they would be playing since they'd only met with the director once so far.

And he had only shoved these books off on them "Kiss scene" the older blonde winced, seeing why the girl would have had a conniption, they were still kids, not even into their teenage years yet, mature things like that were way out of their league.

Both boys nodded avoiding looking at the books with the script, dialogue and plot all mashed together in one "Of course there would be a scene like that in a movie, adding a romantic twist is rather popular nowadays" Kakashi with Sakura in tow appeared in a plume of smoke.

Minato on their heels, the latter looking just a tiny bit amused "Still Kakashi-sensei I think we should try to talk the director into allowing us to figure out a way to fake the scene without actually having to kiss anyone" the rosette grimaced.

Not ready to give up her first kiss to a stranger or worse Sasuke, she would never be able to feel that way for him but she knew that if it was him they would be each others first kiss and it would only deepen his feelings for her and she didn't want that for him.

She wanted Sasuke to find true love with someone else and be happy with that person "Now, now I'm sure the director will understand but for now just practice, we meet with him again tomorrow to find out what parts you'll actually be playing" Kakashi soothed.

Understanding why his student was hyped up they were still kids, basically the same thought Cee had, had earlier not that he knew it "By the way we're joining you for dinner here" Minato piped in and got a groan from Sasuke.

"My Mother invited us to dinner I'm sure you'd be welcome though, Kakashi to if he wanted to join in but it won't be no relaxed dinner, it's formal and us three have to wear formal clothes" Sasuke announced, pointing at himself and his teammates.

Kakashi chuckled under his breath "Then we'll be sure to join you" the silver haired male said in a decisive tone, there were no objections as it seemed his students were finally opening up to him at long last to his relief.

Apparently that time away had really been what they'd needed to see he wasn't some big bad wolf out to get them "So what exactly are we going to do about that little scene" the youngest blonde in the room asked obliviously.

Sakura sighed and rapped her knuckles over his head lightly, the gentleness of the action not going unnoticed as Minato watched the duo's interactions "You really care about Naruto-kun don't you Sakura-san" the former Hokage murmured softly.

Her head snapped in his direction eyes wide "Because I saw how people treated him when we were younger and I want to see his dream come true, it'll really prove to them that he never was what they said he was" the pinkette nodded with smile.

Naruto flushed before quickly busying himself with something to avoid her knowing gaze "Oh and what did they call him when he was a littler brat than he is now" the Raikage demanded to know and Sakura's eyes darkened with fury.

"A demon, even my biological parents until they got to know him as the lovable goofball he actually was, others parents even went so far as to tell their children to stay away from him if you can believe that, he would get thrown out of stores and even hit" Sakura ranted lightly.

Forcing down the urge to go on a full-blown rampage as she remembered all the things people had done to Naruto just because of some hearsay and Minato, well he closed his eyes and shook his head sadly at what he was hearing.

While Ay grimaced wishing he hadn't asked "Some teachers at the academy even tried to sabotage his work so he'd fail and not become a genin" the Uchiha of Team Seven chimed in, thinking of Mizuki no doubt.

Who hadn't shown up to congratulate them the day after becoming genin, at this admission Minato couldn't stand to hear anymore and abruptly stood followed by exiting the house, no one could blame him really.

It was awhile before he came back and by then the members of Team Seven were dressed in their formal wear "Quite the getup, you have to wear that every time your invited over for dinner or is this a special case" Ay questioned.

As they started in the direction of the Main House "Not every time, there are informal dinners that my Mother hosts, but this is to make sure the rest of the clan that does live on know your guests here and to not anger you in any capacity" Sasuke explained.

Making Ay roll his eyes at the complicated answer "Poor Kids I kinda feel bad for them if this is the life they have to live" Darui commented to Cee, lagging behind as they were so the genin couldn't hear them talking.

"I agree, but what irks me the most is how those three turned out to be like that in the first bloody place" Cee scoffed, irritated that they still hadn't been told, thankfully that was about to be remedied as Minato spoke in a hushed whisper.

Cee was most definitely surprised "You can thank Sasori Akasuna for that, apparently he turned traitor to his organization Akatsuki and trained those three" Minato explained, wishing that he had been brought back earlier.

Not to mention there was still the matter of telling his son that he was his Father "Don't sweat it Minato-sensei, we'll have Sakura-chan tell him" Kakashi caught the furtive glances cast Naruto's way from his sensei.

Poor Naruto was completely oblivious to the looks though as they reached the main house "We're here Mrs. Uchiha" Naruto called in a moderate tone of voice, becoming a proper young man as Mikoto would say as he took off his sandals and put them neatly away.

Before waiting for the rest of them to do the same "Good, good and I see you brought you sensei and Minato-san, welcome to our home Raikage-sama, Cee-san, Darui-san, dinner is this way, my husband, nephew, Izumi-san and Nadia-chan are here we were just waiting for you" Mikoto greeted.

The proper hostess if they had to say as the lot of them were led through the living room and to the formal dining room, Fugaku stood "Raikage, it's a pleasure to have you in my home this evening" Fugaku held out his hand and the two men shook hands with one another.

Followed by Cee and Darui until all of them were seated around the table that was crowded with delicious looking food, Mikoto led grace and as the honored guest Ay got to take a bite first "Delicious Auntie Mikoto" Shisui moaned as the exotic flavors burst on his tongue.

Izumi nodded her head "I quite agree, it's a wonder that Sasuke didn't get your talent, so what's it like having them in your home" Izumi teased, then asked rather seriously of the genin what it was like to have the Raikage in their house.

Sakura was the first to perk up "Alright, rather peaceful actually, keeps those two from trying to drive everyone else insane at the very least" the rosette grinned, making her teammates let out offended ~hey's~ in response.

"Come on we're not that bad Sakura, not like you'd hear us anyway cause you had to choose a room that was far away from us" the current heir of the Uchiha clan scowled lightly, minding his manners because he certainly didn't want to get whacked.

Shisui chuckled under his breath "In any case Izumi-nee, it's been nice" the youngest blonde at the table chimed in with a smile, liking that he got to show off his culinary talents for other people who actually seemed to enjoy ramen though not to the obsessive degree that he did.

Darui cracked a small smile in response "Speaking of, seeing as it's improved team morale and all that, I was wondering if you three would mind if I moved in as well" the Copy Ninja inquired, eyeing his students.

He wanted to be responsible, well more responsible over their well-beings "Oh what a wonderful idea don't you think Fugaku, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-chan, Naruto-chan" the Uchiha Matriarch clapped happily.

Even Fugaku had to agree that the idea was a good one, the genin in question shared a look with one another before smiles broke out on their faces and they each nodded their agreement "I hope the sensei I get when I graduate is as amazing as you are Kakashi-sensei" Nadia piped in.

Talking for the first time since they'd all sat down to eat, she was the only other child that had been left "And I'm sure you will Nadia-chan, for now just focus on your studies, there's only a few months left isn't there" the older brunette reminded.

Nadia nodded her head "Yeah then I'll be twelve, though I wish I was the same age as you guys" the younger brunette sulked lightly to the adults amusement, minding her manners as the genin did as to avoid getting scolded.

"On that note since Kakashi was formerly my student and I've been living with him, I'll also be moving in if you don't mind" the former Hokage cleared his throat, getting the conversation back on track, again Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura shared looks with one another before nodding.

Simply agreeing to prevent an argument, behaving to their utmost abilities, until dinner had been thoroughly devoured and conversation had been had "Thank you for coming" the Uchiha Patriarch nodded his head at Ay, seeing them out as propriety demanded.

Ay nodded and the two men shook hands once more "It was a pleasure as you said, your wife is a very good cook" the Raikage commented, complimenting the man's wife on her culinary skills to be polite in hopes to keep the peace.

Fugaku nodded "Okay you three go on home" the ebony haired nineteen year old shooed the trio off, all of whom looked relieved the dinner had ended on a peaceful note and like that they were gone down the streets to the others amusement.

"Suppose we ought to hurry after them or they'll forget about us and lock the door, that would be drab" the younger dark skinned man snorted, thinking the idea ridiculous even as he said it because he knew for a fact those kids wouldn't forget.

Case and point when the five of them made it back to the house, the door was still unlocked and the genin were gathered in the living room, either reading, doing maintenance on their weapons or in Sakura's case finishing up her custom-made puppet.

And Cee was very curious "Are you going to give it a go" the onyx eyed blonde inquired, watching the girl inspect the puppet, a spider, that had a stinger which was filled with her potent sedative that she'd used on Zabuza.

She looked up at him before nodding and attached chakra strings to it, Naruto made a shadow clone for her to use as practice and not but a moment later the clone poofed out of existence making Naruto shudder to the others amusement.

It was a couple hours later, with Minato and Kakashi all moved in that the lot of them went to bed and the following day Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura found out that none of them would be acting the parts of the main characters in the amateur movie to their relief.


	17. Chapter 16

A few days later with Kakashi and Minato all moved in, things were going smoothly for the younger members of Team Seven, including the movie they were currently acting in as they got into their roles and acted to the best of their abilities.

"It really amazes me to see how good they are at this sort of thing" Minato commented as the director called wrap, indicating that the shooting of the movie scenes for that day were finally over and the kids could get out of their set clothing.

His former student nodded in agreement "At the very least should someone else request this I know who to give it to" Kakashi snorted as his genin meandered towards them looking a little tired, it had been a long afternoon.

So instead of pushing them into D Rank Missions he dismissed them for the day "Really, thanks Kakashi-sensei" Naruto grinned up at him, getting another burst of energy as he sped off leaving his teammates in the dust.

"Dobe, I swear I don't know where he gets all that energy" Sasuke grumbled, dragging his feet as they walked back across the village to the nearly empty Uchiha Compound, where their shared house was.

Next to him Sakura rolled her eyes lightly and opened her mouth only to ram into someone "Oommph" Sakura moaned as she hit the ground hard, a hand immediately appeared in her line of view so she took it gratefully.

Until she saw who the hand belonged to only then did her expression change "Sakura-san, what a pleasure it is to meet you out here like this, especially since we haven't seen each other since I graduated, it seems fate has intervened to bring us together again" Neji smirked.

When Sakura released his hand quickly without seeming rude "Right, and that wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've been busy doing missions" the rosette deadpanned, clearly unimpressed by the boy in front of her.

Minato shot a look at his former student who shrugged in confusion as Neji frowned "Don't you understand Sakura-san, fate has brought us together once more, a clear sign that we were meant to be, in order to strengthen the Hyuga Clan with our children" the lavender eyed boy stated.

Hoping to get his point across "Yeah I'm sorry Neji-san, I'm not anymore interested in you than I am in anyone else okay, so please find someone else instead of wasting your time on me" Sakura pleaded in exasperation.

Sasuke ducked his head and shoved his hands into his pockets "HEY SAKURA" Ino chose the perfect moment to appear and Neji beat a hasty retreat having heard rumors that the Yamanaka heiress was a flirt and not wanting to be subjected to that simply turned tail and ran essentially.

Sakura didn't have a chance to respond as Ino rammed headlong into her "Hi Ino" the pinkette wheezed, returning her long time female best friends hug since it had been awhile since they'd seen each other, even as Ino tried to crush her spine.

Just then Naruto rejoined them "Geez whats taking you guys so long" the blonde huffed only to brighten at the sight of his other female friend besides Sakura "Ino long time no see, not since you pulled that disappearing act right" Naruto greeted.

Giving the other blonde a hug "True and I'm never doing anything like that again, though someone told Asuma-sensei the secret to getting us motivated, but anyway do you guys mind if I stay the night" the blonde heiress chattered.

Looking to Sasuke mostly since it was in his clan's compound the members of Team Seven lived "Don't know, we have the Raikage and his escorts as house guests until the end of this week" the Uchiha frowned.

Eyeing Kakashi who shrugged "I'm sure they won't mind Sasuke-kun, it is well within your right to invite other guests so long as they treat the Raikage with respect" the Copy Ninja scratched his cheek as he said all this.

Making sure Ino heard every word and understood what it was he was saying "Awesome we're going to have so much fun, believe it" the knuckleheaded blonde cheered ecstatic that he was getting to hang out with his first two friends at the same time again.

And with that Sakura, Ino and Naruto were gone "Honestly now their both full of extra energy" the former Hokage shook his head in amusement, just glad that his son did have other friends despite his initial thoughts that it was just Sakura and Sasuke.

Nine minutes later they were back at the house where the other three had already arrived "Their in there" Cee pointed from his spot on the couch, at the kitchen where voices could be heard, Sasuke slunk away from the adults to join Naruto, Sakura and Ino in the kitchen.

Cee raised a brow at that but shrugged "Usually their pretty tired, so what has them so hyped up that their acting like that" Darui snorted not use to the kids being so excitable considering their usual antics were rather subdued.

"Probably because Ino-chan is staying the night if I had to guess" Kakashi chuckled, though now he could understand why Sakura had acted that way when Ino had disappeared, she had most likely thought someone was taking away another important person in her life.

Seeing as her parents were taken and Sasori had left the day she graduated "By the way a Hyuga was here earlier looking for you Sakura-san" the onyx eyed blonde called out and Sakura appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

Face wrinkled in consternation "Now that you mention it Sakura-san, that boy Neji seemed to think that you were destined to be together" Minato frowned having wondered since earlier because he hadn't known Hyuga's to go out of their way for non clan shinobi like that.

"I specialized in taijutsu at the academy, one summer when Sa…the man who trained us was gone on a mission Neji-san challenged me to a taijutsu spar and I won, so since then Neji-san's Uncle Hyuga-sama has wanted me to marry Neji-san but I said no and he doesn't know how to take a hint" Sakura scowled.

Though she did speak in a softer tone than usual so she didn't hurt Sasuke's feelings "Ouch got yourself quite the fan club don't you Kid" the dark skinned shinobi chuckled making light of her own feelings on the matter.

As she sighed "I just want to choose someone of my own free will without being forced to marry someone I will probably never love, I wish he and Sasuke would stop obsessing over me and find someone who could truly make them happy" the rosette admitted solemnly.

Before disappearing back into the kitchen "You know with the way she's unable to even say Sasori's name I would think Sakura-san had a crush on him, but I don't think that's the case" the Fourth Hokage mused suddenly.

"He was like her older brother in a sense, especially after her parents went missing" the silver haired Jonin explained seeing the bigger picture as he sat, Minato joining him on the couch as the genin stayed holed away in the kitchen.

Until damn near dinner time when Ay returned to the house after an extremely long meeting with Hiruzen, he had only just entered the living room when a brat he wasn't familiar with appeared in the kitchen doorway and said that dinner was ready.

The Raikage frowned "Whose the new brat in the house, not another guest from another village" Ay glared at his escorts as they lagged behind a little to answer his question and he quickly found out that the girls name was Ino Yamanaka and she was staying the night.

His scowl deepened as he sat at the table, imagine his surprise when a variety of food was placed before him "Decided to experiment did you brats" the Raikage narrowed his eyes on the three brats he was use to.

And they each nodded, including the unfamiliar brat "Ino-chan brought us a recipe cook that Choji lent her so that we could learn new dishes and such" Naruto chattered hardly able to wait until he could try all the new food they'd cooked.

"Only cause you asked Naruto, but we do hope you enjoy it none the less Raikage-sama" Ino bowed her head surprising Ay with her manners and giving him the respect he deserved as he was then also allowed to eat first before everyone else dug in.

Dinner that night was absolutely delicious "Tastes like you outdid yourselves but why don't you tell us who made what" Kakashi groaned hardly able to believe his students had made food this good, he'll never what to leave them at this rate even if they become Chunin.

"Well Ino and Sakura made the vegetable lasagna together, which I made the sauce for and what was left of the sauce I turned into a soup" Sasuke informed gesturing at the tomato soup and the vegetable lasagna and who made them.

Naruto's grin stretched all the wider "And Naruto made the skewers of chicken and the barbecue sauce though he did help with the lasagna noodles" Sakura finished, happily munching on a skewer of fried chicken.

The Raikage snorted "It's palatable" Ay grumbled not admitting that the food was delicious because he didn't want to inflate the brats egos any, he was also the first one finished and the first one to leave the kitchen.

His escorts thoroughly amused "Boss probably wouldn't ever tell you this but he appreciates your hospitality, nor would he ever tell you that your food was delicious so we'll tell you for him as long as you keep it secret that we did so" Darui explained.

"Otherwise we'd be in trouble" Cee admitted, exaggerating a little bit, Ay would probably be thankful actually since he couldn't express himself properly, with that he and Darui polished off the rest of dinner and hurried after their leader.

Kakashi shook his head at his students who also finished eating then started cleaning up the kitchen "Let us help since we also live here" Minato said determinedly, rolling up his sleeves as he did so and roping his former student into helping until the kitchen was spotless.

By the time they were done cleaning the genin were exhausted once more and after sitting in the living room for a little while headed off to bed, prompting the others to do the same not long after since it seemed like no one else was going to come barging in like Shisui liked to do sometimes.

After breakfast Ino dashed off "Hope to do this again sometime, see you Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke" the blonde heiress waved, vanishing from Team Seven's shared house, who for once weren't busy with missions or work.

Even their sensei and Minato disappeared on them as Ay headed off for another meeting leaving the genin of Team Seven alone with Cee and Darui "So Kids what's the plan for the day" the ivory haired Jonin questioned.

When they stood there looking at one another in hopes one of them had an idea "Err I suppose now would be a great time to see if we can now learn medical ninjutsu at the hospital" the blonde Uzumaki suggested.

Having dug deep to think that up "Guess that's not to bad and then afterwards we could go practice some new jutsu's or something" the raven of Team Seven offered next, helping to plan out the day.

Since Ibiki had told them they weren't needed for awhile because of some important event coming up "Yeah, maybe I'll even get in some practice with my puppet or even bow" the rosette smiled as they started from the Uchiha Compound.

"Didn't take them long to think of something to do" the onyx eyed blonde snorted lightly, trailing after the trio out of sheer boredom, trekking across the village to the hospital, where Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura headed in.

Though Sakura must have seen someone she didn't want to meet and loped back towards them to her teammates chagrin "Everything alright Sakura-san" Cee asked seeing her shooting disturbed looks at the hospital doors.

Impatiently waiting for Naruto and Sasuke to emerge from within it seemed even "Oh ah yeah, just a coworker who creeps me out, I don't like really being alone with him" Sakura rubbed her arms, obviously freaked out by her coworker.

Cee frowned in concern "So what does he do that bothers you so much Kid, maybe you should tell a supervisor or something" Darui was also concerned by what they were hearing, and wanting to get her talking made that suggestion.

She shook her head "Likes to pat me on the head and stuff, not to mention last time I think he tried to kiss me or something, it was only the once though" the pinkette grimaced, she'd done her best to avoid being alone with Kabuto in the hospital after that moment.

Before they could delve deeper Naruto and Sasuke emerged "Guess who managed to use medical ninjutsu on a melon that's right me believe it" Naruto cheered, ecstatic that he had accomplished his goal to learn medical ninjutsu.

Next to him Sasuke rolled his eyes "Dobe like your the only one and because I have the sharingan at my disposal I'll probably be a prime candidate in the future to help out with surgeries" Sasuke chimed in, proud that he'd also managed to get in at the hospital learning under medics.

"Very good Naruto, Sasuke, we'll be the medic team of the century" Sakura smiled, having been expressing herself more and more lately to Sasuke's relief because he couldn't stand seeing her so withdrawn.

To that he inwardly thanked every kami known to man that Kakashi had sent them on that mission with Asuma and that Kakashi was their sensei in the first place otherwise Sakura would still be depressed or rather more depressed than she was about Sasori leaving them.

The two Cloud Jonin following them shook their heads lightly in amusement as they headed back for the Uchiha Compound "Not going for your training grounds" the onyx eyed blonde raised his brow in confusion.

As the gates were shut behind them and the genin went straight back to the house "Unless your getting your weapons to practice with first" the ivory haired Jonin commented, guessing accurately when the genin nodded.

All of whom disappeared to their rooms to grab their weapons but even then they didn't go for their usual training grounds, instead the genin chose the training grounds in the Uchiha Compound for privacy as they trained.

Naruto and Sasuke immediately headed a distance away from Sakura who pulled out her bow then notched an arrow, drew in a breath as she factored in all the necessary things then loosed the arrow to sail dead center into a target fifteen feet away.

Darui paled a little in response, especially when Sakura moved back five feet then did the same thing after collecting her metal arrow, only to repeat that several times until she was about thirty five feet away from the target.

Meanwhile the two boys were working on a combined wind/fire jutsu combo, carefully of course because they didn't want what happened back when they were eight to ever happen again "Oi is that stuff he had you working on" Cee questioned after wandering nearer to Naruto and Sasuke.

Because he didn't want Sakura to over hear "This, hardly mostly Akasuna had us work on things like improving our taijutsu or chakra control, how much chakra we used in jutsu's, jutsu's to, plus our own things, for me it was taijutsu, Naruto had fuinjutsu and Sakura she learned how to create antidotes" Sasuke explained.

Reminding himself to not disturb Sakura, she was a scary good shot after all "He did have us learning other things to but I think Sakura-chan was always at the forefront of Sasori-sensei's mind" Naruto chimed in quietly.

Giving Cee plenty to think about "Makes me wonder if Akasuna spent that much time training them, how he could ever leave, he had to have been attached" Darui mused having overheard the conversation himself and Cee couldn't help but agree.

Eventually the genin switched to doing something else, like learning new jutsu's, for Sakura it was the Water Prison Jutsu and Subterranean Voyage for her respective natures, for Sasuke he learned the Flame Bullet and Lightning Blast and Naruto he learned the Wind Explosion Jutsu.

Darui and Cee watching in slight fascination as Naruto got predictably frustration and asked for help from Sakura "Listen Naruto, keep in mind all the chakra control exercises you've done, good, now the hand signs and there you go" the fuscia haired girl instructed.

Helping Naruto get his chosen jutsu down before turning back to work on her own "Uh thanks Sakura-chan you're a life saver" the blonde flushed, grateful that she was always there to help him when he truly needed it.

Sasuke snorted before frowning as he thought of something "Kakashi's been awfully busy lately, what do you suppose he and Morino are up to that we would have an entire day to ourselves to do whatever we want" the Uchiha mused aloud.

In hopes to get his teammates interested in what their sensei was doing, as he thought Sakura perked up with an excited gleam in her eyes, off to the side Darui bit back a smile as he realized where this was probably going.

Even Cee was somewhat amused and even interested in what the genin were plotting "Then if that's the case why don't we test out skills in stealth, find, then spy on Kakashi-sensei" the knucklehead blonde sniggered.

As the three of them crowded together "We'll need a disguise then and a way to alter our chakra signatures so we're not recognizable" the pinkette informed seriously, sitting on the ground and thinking over how she wanted to look in disguise.

It was immediately decided on that they would be the opposite gender that they were in disguise, Darui and Cee watching on as the genin plotted and formulated the best plan of action before moving on to forming their disguises.

Sakura made a striking young boy with short dark purple hair and orange eyes and her name under this transformation was Hideki, Naruto made a beautiful girl surprisingly with long black hair, though he kept his original eye color and his disguises name was Kurumi.

Lastly there was Sasuke who reluctantly transformed into a girl that had shoulder length blonde hair while keeping his original eye color as Naruto did and his disguise was named Leiko, once their transformations were established.

Then came altering their chakra signatures via sealing jutsu and throwing their voices a little until they were finally ready to track down Kakashi and spy on him "So how are you planning on finding your sensei" the onyx eyed blonde questioned.

Seeing the genin contemplating over that very question until Darui gave them an excellent idea "Maybe you could use your summons" the ivory haired Jonin shrugged wanting to see how far they'd make it since they'd already done that much.

"Good idea" Leiko nodded in a high soprano already flying through the hand signs to summon Umo who he ordered to find where Kakashi was at, with that they were once again leaving the Uchiha Compound.

Heading into the village "Hey guys, I just thought of something, we aren't going to be very stealthy if Kakashi-sensei can sense us" Hideki raised a violet brow as he pointed that fact out to his teammates.

Prompting a pout from Kurumi "Ahh Hideki-kun is right Leiko-chan" Kurumi pursed her lips while inwardly cackling like a hyena at the situation they had found themselves in, it was what Sasuke got for making this suggestion in the first place.

So they had to stop and alter their plan a little by drawing chakra suppression seals on their shoulders to keep from being sensed and then they were able to continue on with their stealth mission completely undeterred this time.

Behind them Darui struggled in vein to keep his laughter at bay only failing as a few chuckles escaped from him "Kami they really are something else aren't they Cee, but if we don't want them to fail we should hide our chakra as well" Darui told his partner.

Who nodded "Right" Cee snorted, no longer bored out of his skull like he had been earlier since this day was turning out to be completely interesting as they meandered along following Sasuke's crow summons until Umo began circling.

Indicating he'd found the target "Okay you two the moment of truth, it seems Kakashi-sensei is at Ichiraku" Kurumi announced knowing exactly where they were in the village, now came the hardest part of their mission.

Physically spying and eavesdropping on their sensei "Maybe we should scope out the situation and see who he's with first then decide on how we want to go from there" Hideki suggested being the analyst of the team.

"Now is the perfect time to use my sharingan" Leiko smirked, channeling chakra into her eyes to activate her dojutsu, now able to distinguish chakra through walls "Hmm seems he's with other Jonin, Asuma and one other and get this I can read what their saying with my sharingan" Leiko said to her companions.

A little surprised because he hadn't known he could use the sharingan that way "Good work Leiko, we may yet complete our self assigned mission yet, so what are they saying" Hideki patted her teammate on the shoulder.

Leiko focused her attention on the Jonin just on the other side of the wall, getting all the juicy tidbits necessary before deactivating her sharingan "Tell us after we get out of here, I get the feeling that sticking around any longer would result in being found" Kurumi declared.

So the three of them skedaddled all the way back to the Uchiha Compound and undid their transformations "Okay Sasuke what did you learn, what has Kakashi-sensei been up to" Sakura asked, on a happy high since they hadn't failed nor had they been caught.

Sasuke out of his Leiko form smirked "Preparations for the Chunin Exams, he said he entered us but isn't going to tell us until a week before, so now we know two weeks ahead of schedule" Sasuke informed.

"Which means we're probably going to be having a lot of days like this to potentially scout out the competition and then when Kakashi-sensei springs the news on us we can pretend like we knew nothing" Naruto sniggered.

Blue eyes twinkling with mischief, his teammates nodding along in agreement to the suddenly formed plan "If you don't want him to find out what you three have been up to I would suggest acting natural starting now" the onyx eyed blonde called out.

Sensing Kakashi's and Minato's chakra heading this way so the genin went back to training in the nick of time as the two appeared on the training grounds "This is where you were huh" Minato raised a brow as the kids stopped practicing.

Even if they'd just started again "Yeah they've been training for awhile" the ivory haired Jonin commented, not outing the kids on what else they had been doing, technically that had been training as well if one looked at it from another viewpoint.

"Hard to believe, these three are mischief incarnate considering the pranks they've pulled on me" Kakashi scoffed not so blinded where his genin were concerned, though they didn't panic or spill secrets merely smiled.

Making it so hard to even figure out if they were telling the truth or not "It's the truth Kakashi, we have been training, learning new jutsu's and such, even our own things like Sakura she can shoot a target from up to thirty five feet now, and other things" the Uchiha grunted.

Kakashi narrowed his onyx eye on his students "That's right me and Teme can use a wind/fire jutsu combo now, and we're also now working at the hospital learning medical ninjutsu like Sakura-chan" the blonde Uzumaki nodded.

"Really that's great Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, now all three of you will know how to heal should any one of you be injured" the former Hokage praised, wondering how they had managed so much in such a short amount of time.

Though he shouldn't be surprised, the genin weren't normal in any capacity "Uh-huh and what else have you done" the Copy Ninja pressed knowing his students had done something they weren't telling them about.

Sakura shot him a slightly cross look "Nothing else we swear Kakashi-sensei, we've been here practically the whole time you and Minato-san have been gone" the rosette huffed and Kakashi sighed and relented.

Dropping his line of questioning since they were being so adamant about it, Cee rolled his eyes but Darui bit back another smile as they all traipsed back to the house where it was basically lunch time so Sasuke headed into the kitchen on his lonesome to cook the afternoon meal.

Where afterwards Kakashi and Minato disappeared again "Okay now what" Sasuke groaned, bored now himself, seeing as they had already done the most exciting thing he could think of, before his teammates could contemplate out more ideas.

A knock sounded on the front door, Cee was quicker and he came back with Neji Hyuga, Sakura wasn't the least bit happy to see him "My Uncle has invited you to have tea with us, tomorrow afternoon, he expects you to be there" Neji informed.

Basically telling her that she had to go even against her will "Tomorrow afternoon we are busy Neji-san, tell your Uncle I'm sorry" the pinkette frowned, never having been more glad that they had a mission that would take up the entire afternoon shooting scenes for a movie.

Neji scowled in frustration and opened his mouth to argue or demand possibly when Naruto cut over him "Really she can't, we have a mission" the blonde stated, Neji looked to the two unfamiliar Jonin only to freeze.

Upon noticing their headbands, then his expression turned hateful "You should be ashamed of yourselves inviting Cloud Shinobi into your home" the brunet snapped, Byakugan activated in his fury, barely restraining himself from attacking.

What none of them expected was for Sakura to stand up to Neji "What I and my teammates do are none of your business Hyuga-san, Hokage-sama and Fugaku-sama entrusted their well-being into our care and if you attack them I will have no choice but to defend them" Sakura said.

Standing in front of Cee and Darui to their surprise "That's where your wrong Sakura-san, it is my business because fate has decreed that we'll be together and I demand that they are thrown out of your home this very moment" Neji spat.

Irritating the girl before him further and getting rather tired of the boys arrogant attitude Cee stepped forward "Actually Hyuga-san, Sakura confessed to me awhile back and I agreed to wait for her to reach an appropriate age before attempting a relationship" Cee admitted.

Bluffing his way through the situation and using all the acting skills he possessed, his statement was followed by utter silence, and then Sakura blushed, playing along with him to his relief "Cee-san I wanted that kept secret" the rosette huffed softly.

"Well we know now and honestly as long as he makes you happy when your older we don't care" the Uchiha of Team Seven chimed in with a shrug, enjoying the way Neji practically turned red in the face obviously angry at their nonchalance.

Even Naruto joined in "Anyway Neji you have no right to tell Sakura-chan what she can and can't do anyway" the blonde Uzumaki pointed out, a little angry on his teammates behalf who had been dealing with people trying to order her to marry someone she didn't like since they were little.

At that Neji stormed from the shared house "Daring today aren't you Cee" Darui snorted lightening the tension in the room with a teasing jab, Cee scoffed and took a seat on the couch, not wanting to be heckled for his snap decision to say that idiotic thing.

Though eyeing Sakura who was still blushing he decided that maybe it had been worth it after all, eventually the genin settled down to read or draw out the schematics of yet another puppet in Sakura's case until it was dinner time.

Ay wouldn't admit it but he was a little disappointed when another few days passed and he had finished tying up all loose ends where the treaty was concerned, which meant the time had come for them to return to Kumogakure.

Team Seven including Minato saw them off "Okay you three time to get back to work" Kakashi rounded on his students who looked a little forlorn at the Cloud Shinobi's departure but he ushered them down the streets so they could shoot some more scenes for the movie they were acting in.


	18. Chapter 17

The two weeks Team Seven had before they knew their sensei was going to drop the news of the Chunin Exam on them, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura went around scouting out the competition and training ridiculously hard.

"So far we have Suna participating Ame as well, no Kiri or Iwa genin that I could note, but there are some Kusa shinobi and some shinobi from a village that I don't recognize and maybe a team of Kumo as expected" Sasuke informed.

Allowing his transformation of Leiko to disappear in a plume of smoke to be himself again after a routine check six days after the departure of the Raikage from Konohagakure, since shinobi from other villages had only just started arriving.

Naruto clapped his hands together excitedly "Okay what did these shinobi from the unknown village look like, style of clothing, symbol of their village those kinds of things and of all the genin you saw, who would be the most challenging do you think" Naruto questioned rapidly.

Until Sasuke held up his hand and looked to Sakura who creased her brows as she thought over the information "Having Kumo ninja participate won't be much of a stretch considering we're allies now, but the other part is rather alarming" Sakura hummed.

Lips tugged down in a frown as she nodded at Sasuke to tell them what else he'd learned "They wore musical note hitai-ate's, clothing style was fairly benign and of the genin to be most challenging I would say Suna genin" the Uchiha said.

Also frowning now "Right then our next plan is to find any and all information that we can on the unknown village shinobi but continue scouting, while being stealthy" the rosette declared, neither male on her team arguing.

Of course why would they not when she could probably break a bone with just a finger, though Naruto and Sasuke also knew she was right, "Before that Sasuke what makes the genin from Sand seem so challenging" the blonde knucklehead asked.

It didn't look like Sasuke was expecting that question for he blinked in confusion for a moment then grimaced "There's a redhead who gave me a bad vibe and the way his teammates acted seemed like they were afraid of him as well" Sasuke shuddered.

"Perhaps another person we need to keep an eye on just in case you know" Naruto sighed, wishing that things didn't get so bloody complicated all the time, it sucked big time but he knew how to act appropriately in such situations.

Next to him Sakura nodded "Yeah, for now just send out Umo, Sasuke, then we'll work on developing your medical ninjutsu by healing the fish" Sakura clapped, wanting her teammates to be able to heal at least some injuries before the Chunin Exams started.

Umo was quickly summoned and sent to scout or spy and bring back any information he could gather while the members of Team Seven got to practicing, it was to this that Minato found them working hard yet again.

Watching them as they trained until Sakura noticed him, it was always her first actually and seeing as he'd been found stepped forward "I see you are all hard at work, but I was wondering if you could take a break, Sakura-san" Minato cleared his throat.

Having figured he'd dragged this out long enough, Sakura paused confused for a moment then shot a look at an oblivious Naruto and nodded "Naruto needs to know and yet I have no idea how to approach him with the news that I'm his Father" the former Hokage sighed.

Staring forlornly at his son, Sakura smiled awkwardly "The only way to do it is to do it quick like ripping off a band-aide otherwise Naruto-kun won't understand" Sakura commented, knowing her friend like the back of her hand.

Her response was another sigh, this one more wistful than depressive "Kinda like his mother" Minato chuckled, out of all the people he would want brought back over himself it would be his wife, she deserved to get to know their son more.

"Ah, anyway if you'd like Minato-san I could tell him for you, explain and all that but the rest would be up to you" the pinkette offered since it didn't seem like he was going to be telling Naruto any time soon.

While accurately guessing at the reason why he'd wanted to speak with her alone, Minato grimaced apologetically at her "If you would please Sakura-san, in return I'll tell you something that you don't know" the yellow flash said.

Sakura raised a brow but nodded all the same then called Naruto over to her "Yeah what is it Sakura-chan, I almost had my chakra synced up to the stupid fish" Naruto stomped over to her pouting all the while to her amusement.

Making her giggle softly and he sulked further before she cleared her throat and became serious, prompting him to do the same "Naruto, what I'm about to tell you is very serious okay…well you see, Minato-san he's actually your Father" Sakura intoned seriously.

Just coming outright and saying it to Minato's shock and surprise, even Naruto was stunned by her bluntness "Man Sakura-chan you scare me sometimes with that tongue of yours and if he's my old man then how come he didn't tell me himself" the blonde Uzumaki asked.

A little upset that he was only just now being told and it wasn't by the person who should tell him but his best friend "Cause Naruto, Minato-san didn't know how to tell you" the fuscia haired teen rolled her eyes lightly.

"It's the truth Naruto-kun and I'm sorry it's only now coming out that I'm your Father, I wanted to so much but it never seemed like the right moment but I knew I also couldn't keep putting telling you off like I was" Minato apologized.

Facing his son as his Father now, Sakura wisely slipped away to help Sasuke who was struggling a bit allowing them time alone as father and son for the first time since Minato had come into their lives "Care to share" the ebony haired preteen inquired curious as to what was going on.

"Oh that, well Minato-san is Naruto's biological Father" Sakura admitted quietly and Sasuke choked, eyes bugging out in shock because obviously he had never made the connection like she had, so much for Sasuke being observant she thought with a snort.

Sasuke spluttered for a bit before "Well so much for my keen observational skills" Sasuke scoffed, slightly disappointed in himself for not noticing, Sakura laughed softly but didn't say anything else, merely had him adjust how much chakra he was using for the mystical palm.

Until Naruto strolled back over to them, "Tou-san said he had something to tell you" Naruto intoned quietly, passing along the message, Sakura nodded, took a moment to help him get started on syncing his chakra up to the fish's chakra network before heading back over to Minato.

Who looked quite grateful that she'd helped tell Naruto who he really was to the boy "As promised I'll tell you something you don't know, Kakashi-kun signed you three up for the Chunin Exams but I don't agree with his method of telling you a week before hand" the blonde informed.

Waiting for the shocked expression, what he got was vastly different "Actually Minato-san, Sasuke, Naruto and I already know, we eavesdropped technically cause we were curious about what he had been up to recently" the rosette smiled sheepishly.

To his amusement "How do you technically eavesdrop and Kakashi-kun would have known if you'd tried so how did you really learn about the Chunin Exams" Minato raised his brows in confused amusement.

And the girl snickered "All three of us came up with disguises that are opposite the gender we really are and then made chakra suppression seals on our shoulders until we found Kakashi-sensei then Sasuke used his sharingan to read what the other Jonin with him were saying" Sakura admitted.

Unashamed to do so because Minato wouldn't rat them out, instead the man let out a laugh "So basically your saying that all three of you spied on Kakashi-kun, well I hope you've been using this time wisely to take stock of the competition" the former Hokage inquired.

Getting a couple of nods "Of course, we already know who of the villages sent genin to participate, except for one which is rather unknown to us, they wear musical note hitai-ate's, according to Sasuke, and he was concerned about a genin from Suna, a redhead I believe" the pinkette said.

He shouldn't have been so surprised really considering what he'd seen so far of the genin but he was very surprised actually "Hmm a question to find an answer to and not bad, I assume Umo's out there, good and don't worry I won't tell Kakashi-kun" Minato assured.

Inwardly having a good laugh at his former student who should have known better about his students, of course they would have snuck behind Kakashi's back to find out what he was up to "Right well I better get back over there before they get to frustrated" Sakura grinned.

Practically skipping her way back over to her teammates, hours later the three of them traipsed in to the house and found it crowded "Kid's" Darui waved from his seated position on the couch, next to a blonde woman they didn't recognize.

Though she shot into a standing position at the sight of them and bowed "Our apologies for just entering, Darui assured us that you wouldn't mind, I'm Samui and the sensei of Karui, Omoi and Shunsui, we're here to participate in the Chunin Exams" Samui introduced herself.

Rambling for a moment until she was cut off "But the thing is no one will have Kumo Ninja in their hotel so Darui said that he knew someone who would have us and brought us here" Karui interjected to get to the point essentially.

"Unless you do really have a problem with Kumo Ninja in which case we'll be sleeping outside where we could get sick and then die" Omoi chimed in, worried for naught because there was no way the genin before them would refuse them.

Case and point as the pinkette smiled kindly "Sure, we don't mind, does Fugaku-sama know that your here, good then the only thing left is to get you settled in some rooms" the rosette asked looking to Darui who nodded before smiling wide.

Shooting her teammates a look that had them doing whatever it was she wanted "Sakura-chan your to nice sometimes" Shisui body flickered in at that precise moment and saw her already having the Kumo Shinobi set up in rooms in the shared Team Seven House.

Viridian orbs narrowed on him and he kept out of attack range knowing she could and would knock him out "But that's just Sakura, Shisui and you should really know better than to antagonize her like that" the current Uchiha heir hissed on his way passed.

And his cousin flinched lightly because that was the truth, with that Naruto and Sasuke were leading their guests up the stairs to get them settled in whatever room they wanted that wasn't already taken while Sakura disappeared into the kitchen.

"Looks like they finally returned from wherever" Cee commented appearing in the living room after a meeting with the Hokage about his village's lack of hospitality towards them so far, at his comment Shisui nodded solemnly.

Getting a slightly weirded out look from Cee who merely turned on his heel and headed up the stairs not needing any directions since it had only been six days that they'd left, he was also the first one finished unpacking.

So instead of settling on the couch he went into the kitchen "Cee-san I didn't know you were here as well" Sakura smiled brightly when she noticed him as she was turning to grab something off the counter that she needed for that night's dinner.

Cee offered her a small smile in return "Naturally, though it's only for a few days until those four are settled in comfortably and doing well for themselves" the onyx eyed blonde admitted, because Ay would need him and Darui to escort him there to Leaf for the final round of the Chunin Exams.

Sakura nodded in understanding and turned back to the stove, leaving him to watch her cook in silence until he thought of something to ask her "By the way hows the movie going and how are those two faring on their medical ninjutsu training" Cee questioned.

Extremely curious "Shooting the scenes for the movie is nearly finished actually and those two are doing great, by the time the you know what rolls around they'll be able to heal small injuries, like bruises, cuts and burns I believe" Sakura grinned.

Proud of her teammates as they appeared in the kitchen, sensei on their heels "Yeah believe it" Naruto chimed in, as he shifted around some things so he could help Sakura make supper since they had so many guests.

Sasuke also managed to sneak in and take over what she was already working on, giving her a smirk when she huffed at him in exasperation "Trust me Sakura, with us helping dinner won't be so hard" Sasuke soothed.

Amusing most everyone in the kitchen "Hmmph, fine only cause we have more mouths to feed than usual" the fuscia haired teen harrumphed, leaving him the chicken to sear in the skillet while she chopped up some vegetables.

"Honestly, you three are ridiculous" Kakashi scoffed at his students before eyeing the kitchen table in realization, so disappeared from the kitchen and from the house entirely on an unexpected errand which was to get a bigger table and more chairs to accommodate everyone.

Upon his departure Shisui flopped down on a free chair that so happened to be Sakura's favorite spot "Seems like your still having the same amount of trouble with the Kid huh" the ivory haired Jonin commented.

Shisui's shoulder's drooped in response "Obviously, I just don't know how I'm suppose to get her to open up to me" the Uchiha sighed, having been trying since the moment he met Sakura but all his attempts had ended in complete and utter failure so far to his frustration and disappointment.

Darui shrugged in response not sure what to tell Shisui really, inwardly thinking perhaps the man needed to stop antagonizing Sakura every chance he got, Sakura might then be finally amenable to opening up to Shisui.

Eleven minutes later Kakashi returned, Shisui decided that he should go at that point and body flickered back to his own house, fifteen minutes later the new table with chairs was set up and dinner was declared ready.

Samui was surprised "You know Cee mentioned that you three cooked but I didn't think it would be this good" Samui said shocked at how delicious the food made by the genin actually was, while cursing Cee for not telling her so she could be properly prepared.

"We'll just take that as a compliment Samui-san" Sakura smiled lightly in response, eating with the manners that had been ingrained into her, Naruto and Sasuke doing the same on either side of her since it was expected of them.

Minato watched on in amusement as he ate "So Kids, how much longer do you reckon you'll have to work on that C ranked mission you were assigned" Darui asked, when silence descended upon the lot of them.

Naruto was the first to perk up "Give or take five or so more days, according to the producer" Naruto exclaimed eagerly, hardly able to wait until they could see what the movie looked like in full, even if it was just an amateur movie.

A few people at the table were confused "Hold up your still going on missions shouldn't you be…." Karui began not understanding why the genin were messing about on missions still, only to be interrupted by Kakashi.

Who coughed and rubbed his throat "Say Sakura-chan you think you could take a look, that little cough there kind of hurt" the Copy Ninja requested, faking being hurt as he grabbed Sakura and towed her along behind him to the living room.

"The heck was that about" Omoi scratched his head, lost on all that was going on as the two remained absent from the table, their food getting colder and colder by the minute until Minato realized what his student was doing.

And shook his head "He doesn't want Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san or Sakura-san to know about the Chunin Exams, what Kakashi-kun doesn't know is that they already know, but just now that was his attempt at directing the conversation elsewhere not that it worked" Minato whispered.

Enlightening the newcomers at the table "Bah Kakashi really should know better than to think we wouldn't have gone looking for him to find out what he had been up to recently" the current Uchiha heir scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

Conversation ending in the nick of time as Sakura returned looking thoroughly unamused by her sensei's antics, given the flat stare she kept giving him when he also sat back down at the table so they could finish eating.

"By the way can we ask why your living with your sensei and not your parents" Karui questioned suddenly, just weirded out thinking about it actually, because genin weren't supposed to stay in a house together.

Sakura grimaced lightly "Well Karui-san, my parents were taken when I was ten and they've been missing for the last almost three years, Minato-san here is Naruto's Father and Sasuke's parents live in the house ten feet away the big one" Sakura admitted.

Darui and Cee were shocked at part of the admission but didn't say anything as they had sort of expected it considering the two were practically like twins "Yeah, yeah before Tou-san came back I was an orphan to, so Sasuke's Dad claimed me and Sakura-chan wards of his clan" Naruto chimed in.

"Not to mention they also decided that we should all share this place and later on Kakashi decided he wanted to live with us as well, so what seems weird to others makes sense to us because we're a team" Sasuke shrugged.

Since it was no big deal to him "Has anyone tried to find your parents they could still be out there" Samui commented with a frown, wondering what the heck was going on in the Leaf Village, people didn't just go missing on their own after all.

Sakura's expression darkened in answer "Orochimaru one of the Sannin kidnapped them and the case has gone cold with no new leads in the past year or so" Kakashi informed, feeling for his student who truly was a sensitive girl.

The conversation died at that and Sakura moved to begin cleaning up with Naruto and Sasuke's help this time "Guess that's still a sore point for her" the ivory haired Kumo ninja grimaced, still seated at the table.

With Cee who nodded "Maybe I'll try to talk to her later, surely there's something we could do to help the investigation team find her parents" the onyx eyed blonde frowned, thinking of various things that could be done.

And so once the kitchen was cleaned entirely the lot of them moved to the living room for a bit before heading for bed a couple hours later, and seeing as he managed to snag the room closest to Sakura stopped her before she could head into her own room for the night.

"Yes Cee-san what is it" the rosette paused when he put a hand on her shoulder stopping her in place and as awkward as he felt, led her gently into the guest room he'd chosen to her confusion and made her sit on the lone chair.

Before sitting on the bed himself "I promised to talk to you, because you see I was thinking that there might be something that Kumogakure could do to help you find your parents, we're allies now after all which means a joint effort investigation" Cee informed.

Peridot irises widened filled with something that looked suspiciously like renewed hope to him "Do you really mean that Cee-san, you think Raikage-sama would help" Sakura asked staring at him with such emotion that it made him slightly uncomfortable.

He gave a decisive nod "Of course, even if it was only a way to thank you for being so hospitable during our stay, Raikage-sama would help I believe" the onyx eyed blonde intoned seriously, inwardly cussing himself out because he had no idea if Ay would help or not.

Then again Ay had changed his tune a little so maybe it wasn't to much of a stretch to say he would help "Thanks Cee-san" the pinkette smiled brightly, proving to have not given up hope that her parents were still alive.

Cee flushed lightly in response and cleared his throat feeling even more awkward than before, then he nodded, pat her on the shoulder and sent her to bed, where the next morning after breakfast Team Seven disappeared from the house.

A few days later he and Darui packed their things assured that Samui and her students would be fine without them and left in order to return to Kumogakure and two days after they left the movie Team Seven were acting in finished shooting.

"Glad that's over, not that I didn't enjoy it or anything but acting professionally is hard, you have to remember all those lines and stuff, not to mention get in the role" Naruto exhaled, the morning after, the day when Kakashi was going to drop the news of the Chunin Exams on them.

Beside him Sasuke grunted in agreement "I still think it's ridiculous that your sensei had you doing that mission when you should be focusing on the…. _Chunin Exams_ " Karui whispered the last two words because she didn't want the Jonin in question to hear her.

Especially since the man had gone to great lengths to keep the news from his students "Don't worry Karui-san, we've been training every day and scouting out the competition religiously as well" Sakura grinned.

"What she said" Sasuke grumbled clearly not a morning person that particular morning to be precise, not that he was usually but most mornings he was a little more talkative, this morning he was being rather grouchy.

Karui nodded in understanding "So what are your plans from today on since your done with that mission" Omoi asked but the genin didn't get to answer as their sensei appeared in the kitchen, Minato on his heels like usual.

"Morning my cute little students" Kakashi saluted taking a seat at the table after making him a plate of breakfast, which consisted of waffles, sausage links, eggs and toast, the kids must have been hungry or something.

In response two of his genin glared at him for calling them cute while the last and only female rolled her eyes "Now, now boys don't like it when you call them cute Kakashi-kun" Minato chuckled, amused by the daily antics.

Kakashi snorted "Just don't forget to show up on the bridge at one alright" the silver haired Jonin reminded uselessly like his students would forget, though the chances of that ever happening were slim to none really.

Then he was gone in a plume of smoke and his students rolled their eyes "Well we'll see you later since we have training at the hospital" the blonde Uzumaki saluted, done by that point with dishes cleaned and put away.

Same as his teammates, "Come on then, let's get this over with" the current Uchiha heir scoffed, intent on improving his medical skills even if it killed him, Sakura elbowed him despite his attempt to dodge as she nodded politely at their house guests.

"If we don't make it back in time for lunch, I'm sure Shisui-san would love to help you" the rosette said as an afterthought on their way out the door, Samui nodded in understanding while Omoi and Karui just looked baffled, their teammate as quiet as he had been since they'd arrived.

Unfortunately that day they didn't manage to make it back to the house for lunch because during that hour they had a confrontation with yet another team participating in the Chunin Exams, the famed redhead that Sasuke didn't want to get mixed up with.

How the meeting even happened was because of Konohamaru and his two friends Udon and Moegi they kept pestering Naruto to play ninja with them "A ninja playing ninja really Naruto" Sakura couldn't help it as she rolled her eyes.

In response the blonde flushed red "Hey boss whose she, wait, wait, don't tell me she's your….girlfriend" Konohamaru stuck out his pinky with a grin, having never met Sakura since she had kinda kept to herself really.

And because he found it funny to play along Naruto nodded "Yeah of course she is" Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, gulping when he felt a glare bore into the back of his head, up in the tree where he'd perched himself Sasuke smirked.

Knowing how this was going to end but keeping himself well out of the way "I don't know Naruto-ni but I don't think she knows that she's your girlfriend if she really is" Udon chimed in, able to read the mood of the only other girl besides Moegi.

It definitely wasn't that of agreement to Naruto's statement, in the next moment Konohamaru made the mistake of insulting Sakura who set out to teach him how to respect females in the form of a swift whack on the head.

Not damaging in anyway but enough to get her point across "Scary" Moegi whispered, but Konohamaru didn't know how to stop and kept up with the insults, prompting him to run away when Sakura reached out to whack him again.

Of course Sakura gave chase, Konohamaru rounded a corner only to let out a yell, so her anger turned to concern especially when a voice unfamiliar to them called out "Stupid brat don't you know how to respect your betters" a brunet growled as the others hurried around the corner.

"Hey let him go" Naruto waved his arms helplessly, wondering how they were supposed to handle this situation, he chanced a glance at Sakura who was torn between concern and anger before her expression melted into one of confusion.

Apparently now was time to put on another act, especially when Konohamaru was lifted by his scarf "Don't you know foreign shinobi need permission to enter another shinobi village, so I suggest you state your business or we'll report you to Hokage-sama" Sakura narrowed her eyes.

Casting a look at Sasuke who readied a pebble while she inwardly apologized to Konohamaru "To bad for you then because we have permission and our business is to participate in the Chunin Exams" the teal eyed blonde turned upon being addressed.

Right on cue Naruto got a confused look on his face "Whats that, the Chunin Exams never heard of them" the blonde Uzumaki asked cluelessly, hating that he had to act like an idiot in instances such as this.

"Dobe seriously that the exam where genin can become full fledged Chunin" in his tree Sasuke scoffed down at his teammate while simultaneously tossing the pebble he'd had on hand to rescue Konohamaru from the foreign genin's clutches.

Konohamaru quickly attached himself to Naruto while the brunet glared, holding his hand "Why don't you come down here punk, then we'll see who the better shinobi is" the older teenager snapped unhappy.

And definitely not liking the genin from Leaf so far, Gaara appeared in the nick of time as the boy was pulling a shape that Sakura could recognize anywhere even through the bandage wraps, from his back "Kankuro enough you're an embarrassment to our village" the redhead rumbled.

In a gravely tone that had the academy students shivering, the older duo was just as effected by the redhead's appearance "I was just messing about Gaara no need to take it seriously" Kankuro sweat dropped, trying to placate his teammate.

During that encounter Team Seven learned the Sand Genin's names as the teal eyed blonde also attempted to placate the redhead "Fool we are here for one thing only and you should have stopped him Temari" Gaara narrowed his eyes.

Appearing on the ground in a swirl of sand, prompting Sasuke to jump down from his perch to stand with his own teammates as well "If it helps we apologize on that note we should go" Temari looked like she was about to be sick.

Just like that all three genin from Suna were gone and Sakura turned on Konohamaru, followed by another whack "Ow what did you do that for" Konohamaru whined, sulking as all children were known to do.

Sakura glared down at him "Next time Konohamaru-chan don't mouth off especially to girls or foreign shinobi got it, what would Hokage-sama say if something happened to you" Sakura snapped and the boy flinched.

But nodded as her scolding sunk in at long last "Right we should go, sensei must be waiting for us by now" Naruto sighed ushering the academy trio off in the opposite direction that Temari, Kankuro and Gaara had gone.

"He's unstable" Sasuke concluded, walking on the other side of Sakura, as they hurried for Team Seven's bridge, just before they reached it his forehead creased "And I think he's like Naruto, kinda had almost the same chakra, like a beasts, sorry" the Uchiha admitted.

Apologizing because he didn't want to hurt Naruto's feelings given how touchy the boy was about his status as a jinchuuriki "Yeah Sasuke's right Gaara's like me, only while the tailed beast I have doesn't influence me, his does" the blonde Uzumaki declared.

Sakura pursed her lips "Then we make him stable by any means necessary" the rosette intoned seriously as they arrived on their bridge, in the same exact second Kakashi appeared thankfully not late, only to finally inform them that he'd nominated them for the Chunin Exams.


	19. Chapter 18

Just as they'd all agreed upon, the final week before the Chunin Exams was filled with studying, training and scoping out the competition of the Exams some for the members of Team Seven until the day of the first round arrived.

"So it looks like the place we're going is to the academy" Sakura scanned the application form, since Kakashi had up and disappeared on them without telling them where they were supposed to go to her teammates chagrin.

Her admission prompted Sasuke to groan in annoyance "That bad huh, but we're glad nonetheless that we have actual escorts to this place because we know where nothing is in this village mostly" Karui smirked.

Readying her belongings because she didn't know what they would need for the first round of the Chunin Selection Exams, nor did the others of her team or even the members of Team Seven, since their sensei was contrary like that.

Sasuke scowled then took a deep breath "Nothing to it but to get it over with I guess" Sasuke sighed in the next moment, he'd hated the academy with all it's giggling girls and now after he'd done and graduated, he had to go back it sucked but he could be mature enough about it.

Beside him Naruto nodded "Okay lead on, because we don't want to be late, if we're late we could be exempt from taking the exams and then we could be demoted back to academy students for the rest of our lives" Omoi rambled.

Obviously nervous "Relax that won't happen, participating in the exams is our choice after all, yeah our sensei's might be a little disappointed but I think they'd understand you know" Naruto assured as they headed out the door.

The last remaining Cloud Genin Shunsui just as quiet as he had been when they'd arrived, for as the members of Team Seven had learned Shunsui couldn't talk, he was still a formidable opponent though and that's why he'd been put on Karui and Omoi's team for the duration of the Exams.

To soon for Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto's liking, they arrived at their old academy and it stood as imposing as ever, where Karui and her teammates headed in first because Team Seven spotted the Sunagakure genin.

And decided it was time to enact phase one of regain Gaara's sanity and separate his chakra from that of his tailed beasts, it was all the studying they'd done of various fuinjutsu books they could find in the Uchiha Clan Library.

Naruto was adept at recreating seals but the seal they'd come up with was unique and entirely their own "Do it now Dobe" the Uchiha hissed at Naruto when Gaara was within range and completely unaware.

"Got it" the blonde whispered back, gulped quietly, aimed as best he could and threw the tag which attached itself to Gaara thankfully, where it was quickly activated with a complicated set of hand signs Sakura had drilled into him.

Gaara froze as he was overcome with a strange sensation and the voice of mother faded some into the deep recesses of his mind, his pupil-less green eyes cleared slightly of the insanity but it wasn't enough and Sakura cursed.

On either side of her Sasuke and Naruto could understand her frustration "We'll just have to make the next one stronger and hit him with it when we have a chance, now lets go in and get this round over with" the pinkette sighed.

Putting her personal feelings aside as the three of them entered the academy building "Of course their trying to trick us right off the bat" Sakura snorted less than a second later, sensing the genjutsu in the air.

Her teammates frowned until Sasuke realized what she was on about himself "Genjutsu" Sasuke groaned as they headed up the stairs and found out the reason for the illusion, to see through deception but it didn't look like many could.

Seeing as they were only on the second floor and not the third floor like the genjutsu was trying to trick them into believing "Everyone's distracted by those two Chunin, lets sneak by and get to the exam room" Naruto whispered to his teammates.

Not wanting to draw much attention onto himself or them because he really didn't feel like putting on an act right now so early into the game, so they snuck through the crowd and disappeared up the stairs with no one else the wiser.

Except for the two Chunin in disguise, who shared a smirk with each other, and like that Team Seven had arrived before the exam room and who would they find waiting for them none other than their sensei Kakashi Hatake.

Who looked upon them with pride in his one visible ebony iris "Of course I knew you wouldn't pass up this chance to further yourselves Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and I know your not going into this lightly, so good luck in there" Kakashi patted each of his students on the head.

Ruffling their hair fondly even if he didn't want to admit that he was fond of them and then pulled open the door "We'll do you proud Sensei" his lone kunoichi declared softly with glistening peridot orbs before she discreetly got rid of the tears.

One corner of his mouth quirked into a half smile bunching up his mask "Because if you don't I guarantee that your training will be like hell on earth if you fail this round" the Copy Ninja threatened.

Amused when Naruto panicked and rushed into the room ahead of his teammates "Way to go Kakashi" the Uchiha on the team shot him a scowl and hurried after the blonde, with Sakura on their heels and he shut the door behind them and body flickered.

Inside the exam room Naruto froze as he felt a ton of glares upon his person and felt a trickle of sweat slide down the back of his neck seeing how many genin were actually participating in the Chunin Exam.

Did that stop him from making a spectacle of himself oh no because he did by firstly shouting out his name "My name is Naruto Uzumaki" the blonde gesticulated in an annoying way that had many genin glaring at him even more, which was worsened by his declaration.

Until Sakura slapped a hand over his mouth "Ignore him, he doesn't know what he's saying" Sakura attempted to diffuse the tension that had risen from Naruto's acting, it was better that they were underestimated and thought of as naive and innocent genin who knew nothing after all.

Sasuke simply rolled his eyes playing it cool "You better not get us disqualified for that Dobe" Sasuke hissed after a moment when they managed to find a spot to stand as they were ignored by the older more intimidating genin in the room.

Naruto flushed sheepishly "Sorry just thought it was better to do something that would make people underestimate us you know" Naruto admitted quietly it was something both of his teammates could understand really.

Because now they could get away with scoping out the competition in the room, Sasuke immediately spotted the genin from the unknown village and pointed them out to Sakura, the trio was definitely strange.

Mere seconds after noticing them Team Seven were practically jumped by Team Ten, meaning Ino had basically launched herself with a squeal at Sakura and Naruto and hugged them "Oh my god I can't believe you guys are really here" Ino damn near shouted bursting their ear drums.

And anyone who happened to be standing near the rookie Leaf Genin "Of course their here Ino where else would you expect them to be" Shikamaru scoffed, looking about as lazy as he always was, but there was a glint of wariness in his dark irises that Sakura echoed with her own peridot ones.

Ino huffed at her teammate then turned to Sasuke and gave him a nod instead of throwing herself on him as she had when they were younger "So what do you think it is we'll be having to do anyway" Choji asked munching on a bag of chips.

Those around him shrugged because they didn't know either and a few minutes later Team Eight was stood among them as well "Guess we're all here it seems" Kiba frowned disliking that there were so many competitors for the Chunin Exams.

"Y..yes it does s..seem that way doesn't it K..Kiba-kun" Hinata stuttered, more nervous seeming than usual and Sakura sent the slightly taller girl a reassuring smile, though she doubted it was very assuring to Hinata it was one all the same.

Next to her was the ever quiet Shino with his huge jacket and black sunglasses, he was silent for the moment as they were approached by another genin who was older, it was a person Sakura instantly recognized and couldn't help but curl her lip in dislike.

As Kabuto came to a stop before them "I understand this is your first time here but could you quit making a scene, it's making the others uncomfortable" Kabuto informed, attempting to catch Sakura's gaze but she looked resolutely away from him.

Keeping her silence, in fact since that day in the room where he'd helped her develop her medical ninjutsu Sakura had avoided being alone with him and even speaking to him actually, no matter some day she'd be his, Orochimaru had promised.

"If anyone's making a scene it's you, why because your the one who came over here and drew attention onto us" Shino frowned at the older genin, feeling the tension rising in his former classmate, which irritated his kikaichu.

Seeing that all he was doing was getting angry glares Kabuto turned and headed back towards his teammates disappointed, not to mention he hadn't been able to gain the trust of the rookie genin like had been Orochimaru's plan.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief now that Kabuto was gone "C..Creepy w..wasn't he Shino-kun" the blue haired heiress stuttered, having not liked the older genin herself, something had felt off to her at least.

"Yeah he's always trying to talk to us when we go in for lessons at the hospital" the blonde Uzumaki whispered at Hinata who looked like she was about to faint for him even talking to her in the first place.

Until one of the others besides his teammates understood what he said "Wait, lessons in the hospital" the Inuzuka heir laughed, like he thought Naruto was to dumb to even have any sort of lesson or that he would learn anything.

Naruto scowled knowing how his statement had been interpreted and was about to lay into Kiba when Sasuke a put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head "Yeah our Jonin made us learn basic first aide, it's just taking a little longer than usual" the Uchiha scoffed.

Pretending to be irritated that he had to do such a thing and lying all in the same breath, no one needed to know that he and Naruto could use medical ninjutsu after all, Ino however knew and grinned widely.

Followed by also changing the subject "Anyway listen to this…." the blonde heiress began drawing them into some story about a training session she'd had with her dad and how badly it had ended when she fell into the pond behind her house.

"Very interesting story Ino-chan" the rosette snickered, feeling for Inoichi, it couldn't be easy raising a daughter like Ino who could be extremely annoying, but she merely smiled, pleased that she'd managed to direct the conversation to something else.

Beside her Shikamaru rolled his eyes "That's nothing compared to what Asuma-sensei has made us do" the Nara heir scoffed, looking lazier by the minute with his ever slouching posture, it was a wonder how he didn't have back problems actually.

Choji nodded along in agreement "How about you guys what's your sensei like" the Akimichi heir asked of Team Eight, already knowing what Team Seven's sensei was like since they had gotten stuck with the man for two weeks.

"Strict, why because one of us needs it" the Aburame heir finally said after what seemed like several minutes, teasing his friend in his own unique creepy way that had Kiba flushing in embarrassment that he was being called out on his behavior.

They didn't have a chance to continue, as a plume of smoke filled the room and dissipated to reveal members of T&I, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke instantly straightened when Ibiki Morino's gaze landed on them.

And they did their best to look their most serious and the best part of it all, only Ino understood why until Ibiki shifted his gaze onto someone else, the genin of Team Seven breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Just as the man began talking, "Pipe down and listen up you baby faced degenerates, the names Ibiki Morino and I'm your proctor for the first exam, this is the written portion and I'll be explaining the rules once your seated" Ibiki barked.

Intentionally letting out a little killing intent, just to see how the brats would react, someone reacted alright but not to his KI, it was the Uzumaki brat as he stared in realistic horror at Izumo who was holding a stack of test papers "Did he just say written" Naruto cried.

Prompting Izumo to smirk and wave the stack at him and if Ibiki didn't know the brat before hand he would say that the boy was genuinely afraid that he'd fail the test, but he knew the kid was smart, a lot smarter than anyone actually knew besides his teammates.

But soon enough all the genin were seated and he was explaining the rules to them, keeping up with the killing intent as they all got started to make them sweat and the first person Ibiki set his gaze upon was Sakura.

Who had her gaze focused directly upon her test, pencil in hand as she cranked off the answers like they were nothing, then she sat back in her seat once she was done, hands on top of the desk, test face down, face a mask of complete and utter boredom.

Then his attention was stolen by some idiot in the row across from hers, the moment she had been waiting for actually because it had been planned, Sakura flashed through the hand signs quick and easy before casting the camouflage jutsu upon herself.

Followed by casting a genjutsu illusion of herself and hurriedly leaving her desk to hand off the answers to Naruto since it was a team effort and even if Naruto could answer some of the questions he wouldn't be able to answer them all.

This whole thing took maybe five minutes tops and soon Sakura was back in her seat no one the wiser of what she'd done and Naruto with a full sheet of answered test questions, Sasuke smirked at her though and soon the first portion of the Chunin Exams was over.

With all of them, the entire rookie nine passing the round, Ibiki scowled at them all just as Anko busted her way into the classroom, "The names Anko Mitarashi you maggots and I'm your proctor for the second round" Anko smirked.

Looking deranged to many's horror, especially with the half eaten dango hanging out of her mouth, before she realized and turned to Ibiki "Hey Morino you let to many of them pass, hmmph no matter by the time I'm through with them there will be less than half of you left" the purple haired interrogator shrugged.

Sasuke and Naruto rolled their eyes at her antics as they were allowed to finally leave the classroom and the academy to head towards the destination of their second exam "Is that what I think it is" Sakura hissed suddenly standing between them.

How she managed this without them realizing it made both males jump to Ino's amusement since she had been stood right behind the trio of Team Seven "Okay thanks for the scare but what do you mean Sakura" Sasuke grimaced.

Eyeing the expansive forest as they came to a stop in front of it "Yeah I'd like to know to" the blonde haired Uzumaki sulked when Sakura grinned lightly in amusement, probably laughing at them for pulling a prank in the midst of something so serious.

"Training Grounds 44 or more commonly known as the Forest of Death, it has a bad reputation, people die or go missing in there all the time" the rosette crinkled her nose up in dislike, just as Anko explained that this was the location of their second exam for the Chunin Exams.

Naruto gulped quietly while Sasuke exhaled slowly "Great, looks like we're going to be in there for five days" the ebony haired teen grimaced clearly not enthused about going into the forest, seeing as they were trouble magnets and anything could happen.

Behind them Ino winced in sympathy as Anko finally dismissed them to go home until tomorrow where they would have to show up at 0700 hours otherwise they were disqualified "See you then" Ino waved watching her friends march off to their shared house.

Where halfway they were joined by Karui, Omoi and Shunsui "Man that Ibiki Morino guy sure was intense, I swear the entire time we were taking that exam he was unleashing KI on us" Karui commented wondering if Team Seven had noticed.

Apparently they had as they all nodded solemnly "That's just Ibiki-sensei for you though" Sakura said, use to the man since she worked directly under his command at T&I, Karui raised a brow but Sakura didn't elaborate as they reached the house at long last.

There was absolutely no one to greet them upon their return "Come on lets get ready" Sasuke sighed grabbing Naruto by the arm, where the three of them then promptly disappeared up the stairs and down the right side of the hallway to Sakura's room.

Or more accurately her lab "Okay so how do we want to play this Forest of Death place out Sakura-chan, Sasuke, we're already severely underestimated so no one would be expecting anything of us which is why we can basically do anything" Naruto burst out.

Unable to keep silent any longer, Sakura smiled at him briefly in amusement before echoing Sasuke's frown with her own "I don't think it will be a piece of cake even with our unexpected experience" the fuscia haired teen informed.

In a completely dead serious tone "Your right, so the question is, is do we go in guns blazing metaphorically speaking or be discreet and undercover" the ebony haired preteen asked looking between his teammates.

Naruto frowned for a few minutes longer before something positively diabolical came to mind "Why not send in clones, we can follow along behind under the chameleon jutsu and take on our alter egos once we're in the forest" the Uzumaki declared.

Looking excited because he was the one to come up with an idea first for once "That's actually a great idea Naruto-kun and what would be even better is if we scattered more than one set of clones of us throughout the forest to throw anyone off our tail" Sakura grinned.

Because she knew that if something could go wrong it would go wrong on them, so what better way to keep people from attacking them than to send out multiple clones of themselves and let them handle whatever came their way.

Sasuke shuddered lightly in response to the mischievous gleam in Sakura's peridot irises before nodding "Okay so who wants to guess at what the point of sending us into the forest is" Sasuke asked wanting to hear their opinions before he added his own.

The three of them were quiet for a moment until Naruto once again chimed in "Probably to test how well we do in an unfamiliar environment while managing to complete the goal they set out for us" Naruto offered.

"Right and said goal is more than likely to get to the center of the forest where the tower is, which is why we're being given five days" the Uchiha added in sudden realization, though he was certain he was still missing a piece of the puzzle.

Which was given to him by Sakura "That explains the scrolls I saw in a booth off to the side, our goal will probably to get a pair of each scroll that I saw and take them to the tower, thus completing the second round" the pinkette announced.

It was Naruto's turn to shudder lightly "Yikes you really are scary Sakura-chan" the blonde commented, only offset by the grin on his whiskered face, though his expression was echoed by his teammates as they then began to decide what to take into the forest with them.

"Definitely a weeks supply of clothes, the rest should still be good from that mission, unless one of you needs to stock up on something and I suppose we could try and get a map and a compass of Training Grounds 44" Sakura hummed.

Searching her pack for anything she might be running low on or completely out of "Just the compass and map then cause I'm good" Sasuke grunted, glad they wouldn't have to go through the hell known as over-preparing.

"Me to and hey you can even send Aimai ahead tonight Sakura-chan to scope out the forest for us" Naruto chimed in surprising his teammates with yet another brilliant idea as they started heading for the exit of Sakura's room.

Just as they were about to leave Sakura stopped them "Tomorrow might be the last time we'll be in range of Gaara Sabaku for awhile at least, we have to make this one count" the rosette reminded holding out the tag that would hopefully completely separate Gaara from the tailed beasts chakra.

So there they stayed in the lab for another hour yet, pouring over fuinjutsu books until they were one hundred percent certain the tag would do its job "Okay now lets go see if we can find a map" the raven haired preteen sighed.

Stretching as he stood from sitting for so long "Not to sound like Shikamaru or anything but starting tomorrow everything's probably going to be a drag" the fuscia haired teen sighed giving the tag to Naruto.

Who shoved it in his storage pouch so that it wouldn't be forgotten in the scramble to get to their designated area "Poor Asuma-sensei" the blonde haired Uzumaki sniggered as they finally left Sakura's lab and subsequently her room.

"I wondered where you three disappeared to" Minato looked up as they randomly appeared in the living room, Kakashi was noticeably absent and Sakura narrowed her eyes at that, looking around she realized Samui was also absent which couldn't just be coincidence.

But she did shoot Minato a little smile "Yeah we were going over our strategy, you know thinking up all possible variables and not just the obvious ones" Sakura admitted, seeing as the Cloud Shinobi were no where in sight.

Most likely they were doing the same as they of Team Seven had been doing until just then "Oh, then you'll be the first ones to make it through the round then I assume" the Fourth Hokage raised a brow at the abnormal genin.

And each of them nodded making his statement a challenge more than likely "Right well we have some last minute preparations to make so we'll be going now, Tou-san" Naruto waved, marching through the living room to Minato's amusement.

"See you when you return" Minato nodded as Sakura hurried after Naruto, leaving Sasuke who returned his nod with one of his own before turning on his heel and heading after his teammates where minutes later they were out in the village.

Heading straight for a bookstore "So what exactly are we looking for" Sasuke asked once they found books with maps in them of all the areas in their village and had gotten back to the house only to once again disappear.

Sakura looked over the book she'd grabbed then pointed out something to the boys on her team "This Sasuke, Training Grounds 44 has 44 entry points which means we could start anywhere depending on if we're allowed to choose our own or are given a starting point" Sakura said.

Putting her book in the middle allowing Naruto and Sasuke to look their fill of it "Say we are given the option to choose which entry point I would think this one would be the better option considering the river, no one would be expecting genin to be able to water walk" Naruto commented.

Sasuke nodded his agreement, plus they would be in their alter ego forms with their chakra signatures altered so they wouldn't be recognized while their clones ran amok "That just leaves acquiring the second scroll, you said there were two different ones right Sakura" the Uchiha asked.

Glancing to Sakura to make sure he'd understood her much earlier statement "Mhm and I was thinking since we'll be using the chameleon jutsu until we enter the forest, we could just sneak behind and snag the opposite scroll our clones are given" the pinkette declared.

"Leaving us the ability to just head straight for the tower undetected" the blonde Uzumaki finished, grateful that he had asked Sasori Akasuna to train him and that the man had given in, otherwise he would be way behind everyone else.

With that all the books were put away and Team Seven made sure to double check their packs for the following day before heading down the stairs where the team of Cloud Shinobi were now sitting in the living room.

Karui looked at them in surprise "Don't tell me you've been preparing this whole time" Karui asked in total shock because spending hours on one thing was insanity, not even she would force her teammates to do such a thing.

Unfortunately the genin they were staying with nodded "Yep without a doubt, you'll find we like to be thorough Karui-san" Sakura smiled lightly before turning into the kitchen it was going to be dinner soon and no doubt everyone was hungry.

"But why, surely there's no reason to go overboard right" Omoi inquired massively confused by the Leaf Genin, they hadn't been normal by any means necessary and now they were getting even weirder at least to him.

The lone Uchiha on the team looked grim-faced as he answered "Well it's either that or be sorely under-prepared for anything that could happen, seeing as all three of us run into bad luck all the time" Sasuke shrugged.

Hurrying after Sakura to help make dinner "That's the gist of it" Naruto added, waving to Shunsui who nodded quietly before he to went into the kitchen and soon supper was ready, that night it was just the six of them plus Minato.

And when they went to their rooms for the night Sakura made sure they set their alarms two hours early while simultaneously summoning one of her bats, it wasn't Aimai this time though but a male that went by the name of Uri.

Who took off flying out her window spouting that he would do his best for Sakura-sama, he returned less than a minute after she'd woken from her annoying alarm going off "Uri brings news of the Forest of Death, lots of poisonous plants and insects there be" Uri informed.

To which Sakura happily rewarded him with a few drops of her blood before heading into her lab to grab some of her more exotic herbs, then she headed down the stairs on her heels were Naruto and Sasuke.

But who would be waiting for them in the living room was none other than Minato "Figured you'd wake up early, so I just wanted to wish you three good luck during this round, even if you aren't the first ones to complete it, still do your best alright" Minato shook his head not surprised.

Patting each of them on the heads until they went into the kitchen and made breakfast, eating quickly with him, while leaving enough for the others staying in the house and then just like that they were gone, vanishing like the wind.

Just before they were to reach the meet up spot the genin of Team Seven hid themselves in an alley, created clones, the first of many, transformed into their alter egos of Hideki, Kurumi and Leiko, then performed the chameleon jutsu to hide in plain sight with their chakra suppressed.

Now all that was left was to bide their time until the start of the round "Oh Sakura look there its Gaara" the blonde knucklehead nudged his teammate, instinctively knowing where she was due to how close they had been ever since they were little.

"Mm now would be the best time since we can sneak close undetected by him" the rosette whispered as they crept closer and like before Naruto grabbed the tag from his pouch and threw it on Gaara before speeding through the complicated set of hand signs necessary.

The change was immediate, the chakra of the tailed beast inside of Gaara receded until it could barely be felt and his eyes cleared completely of the insanity, leaving confusion in its wake "Jobs done others are starting to arrive" the Uchiha sighed in relief.

Glad that they'd averted one disaster so far as they headed back to where their clones were standing and stood there until Anko showed up, 0700 hours passed and she started listing the rules of the round followed by passing out waivers.

Indicating that she wasn't responsible for their lives should they die in the Forest of Death and then with their signed waivers they were made to line up to get their starting scroll, and when it came to Team Sevens turns.

Sakura sneakily grabbed an earth scroll after their clones were handed a heaven scroll the chunin in charge of manning the booth and handing out the scrolls none the wiser to her relief as they made their way to their choice gate and entry point of Training Ground 44.

Pleased that they even got to choose "You ready to do this guys" Naruto bounced in his Kurumi form at the exact second a buzzer sounded and their gate opened, the clones shooting in to the forest as they dropped the chameleon jutsu once they themselves were in the forest as well.

Sasuke matched the whiskered smile with a smirk of his own in his Leiko form "Of course Kurumi and we'll be the first ones to the tower but first" Sasuke put his hands together, copying Naruto who grew more excited with each passing second.

"Ninja Art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu" Sakura in her Hideki form called out in perfect sync of her teammates and in poofs of smoke there were fifteen clones to each of them already as their regular selves where they were given very precise instructions to wreak havoc and with that Team Seven set forth into the Forest of Death.


	20. Chapter 19

Four hours later after the start of the second round and after trekking for at least half of the miles necessary to reach the center of the forest Team Seven decided to take a quick break "So far so good, none of the clones have been dispelled at least" Naruto commented in a soft soprano still in his Kurumi disguise.

As a temporary camp was made next to the river "Good" Sakura rumbled in her Hideki voice, stripping a rabbit that she caught of its fur before removing the bones and innards as best she could where after she rinsed the meat and toss the mess of innards onto the roaring fire.

"Best eat quickly, a fire and the smell of meat will lure any creature or human our way" Sasuke reminded in his Leiko forms high soprano as Sakura quickly speared strips of meat on a stick and set them up over the fire.

Ten minutes later the meat was cooked and they ate without even really tasting anything before breaking down their temporary camp, packing up just as quickly, they made sure no evidence remained of them being there before disappearing into the forest once more.

Until they finally reached the river "Oh one of my clones just got killed by a rain ninja" the boy disguised as a ravenette spoke suddenly just as they were about to step out onto the river to cross it so they could reach the tower quicker.

His teammates paused in their own disguises "Probably just a contestant trying to get our scrolls, don't think to much of it alright Kurumi" the pinkette in her purple haired disguise patted the girl on the back reassuringly.

"Yeah Hideki's right so lets just get across alright and we'll be that much closer to our goal and more than likely also be the first ones to reach it" the shocking blonde form of Leiko smirked having decided that Minato's words from yesterday were to be a challenge.

And so they did, continued on right across the river, undeterred in their quest and finally hours later the tower was within their sights "Alright we did it" Naruto cheered undoing his Kurumi transformation.

Relieved because yet another of his clones was killed, it appeared the clones of Sasuke and Sakura were also killed this time because they suddenly went rigid "Do you think….." Sasuke began, scowl already forming on his face.

Worry in his eyes "Whoever that was, was to strong to just be a contestant Sasuke, if the wind was strong enough to destroy all three of our clones, then it was definitely someone after us, specifically at that" Sakura pointed out, expression grim for a moment before echoing Naruto's expression of relief.

Because if they hadn't come up with a plan before hand, that could have been them just now and elsewhere a certain Snake Sannin disguised as a Kusagakure Kunoichi screamed in fury that his prey had somehow evaded him.

"In any case we're here, the tower is safe and we don't have to worry now" Sasuke grunted, sending a glare in the direction he thought the clones had been killed at, then grasped the handle of the door they had been assigned.

Letting his teammates in ahead of him first "Joy" Sakura rubbed her temples seeing the chalkboard with the bloody riddle on it situated quite annoyingly in the middle of the room they had just entered.

Naruto was tempted to laugh but didn't as she went to inspect the riddle to determine how it was supposed to help them seeing as it was there after all, after a short time Sasuke joined her, both of them looking more baffled as the seconds went by.

Until finally he marched over to the chalkboard as well to see if he could help "Okay so I'm just going to make a guess and say through all this nonsense here it's telling us to open up the scrolls" Naruto shrugged unable to make sense of the riddle.

Sasuke and Sakura stared at him for a moment then shrugged and decided to do as he had guessed by hesitantly unrolling the scrolls "Hey I know that seal, it's the summoning seal" the blonde blurted once the scrolls were opened.

"But its on two different scrolls, so if we put them like this.." the rosette mused, laying the scrolls crisscross to complete the formula, only to jump back as the seal lit up blue and a plume of smoke disrupted their vision.

Putting them on edge as they crowded together weapons at the ready until the smoke cleared to reveal their sensei "Well this is…I can't say entirely unexpected, but still how on earth did you get through the forest so fast" Kakashi scratched his chin, confused.

As his genin relaxed and put their weapons away "Lets put it this way Kakashi, shinobi are supposed to be stealthy are they not" the Uchiha scoffed, hinting at something entirely diabolical that Kakashi couldn't help but laugh.

"Now hold on are you saying that you stole a scroll from the booth" the Copy Ninja intoned incredulously, only to groan when his students nodded unashamedly, though he was secretly proud of them he wouldn't admit it.

Then he cleared his throat looking his most serious "Right then, congratulations on making it through the forest, take these next four days to rest up, yada, yada and I'll see you once this round ends" Kakashi pointed to the door, saluted and vanished in a plume of smoke.

In completely unrehearsed sync Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes at their sensei's antics but headed through the door where they were shown some rooms and where the cafeteria was so they could eat and then afterwards head to bed.

Meanwhile Kakashi had returned to the Jonin Lounge "Whats the matter Kakashi you look tired" Anko cackled when the man resumed his previous position, Kakashi scowled at her and that's when the other Jonin in the room seemed to realize.

Even Anko as Kurenai spluttered in surprise "Are you saying your students already made it through the forest, that's impossible" Kurenai denied, there was no way genin fresh out of the academy genin at that had made it to the tower in a single day.

Kakashi looked even more tired "Not as impossible as you think Kurenai, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are quite the budding strategists" Asuma chimed in defending the genin of Team Seven earning him a look from Shikaku.

"Strategists huh, come to think of it you spent time as their temporary sensei on a mission outside the village didn't you, in the Land of Waves I recall, didn't that mission turn into a high ranking one, A if I recall" Shikaku inquired with all the subtlety he possessed.

Asuma nodded and stroked his beard for a moment "That's right Shikaku and it didn't seem to even faze them, if anything the skill level they possess is beyond that of a genin" the mahogany eyed Jonin admitted.

Glancing to Kakashi "Beyond, preposterous they've only been genin for six months, like the rest of them besides Gai's students who have six months ahead of our students" the ruby eyed Jonin dismissed the idea of genin possessing Chunin level skills ahead of time.

Until Anko promptly burst her bubble "I wouldn't be so sure Kurenai, Hatake's students aren't your average run of the mill rookies, especially that Haruno girl, Sakura or Pinky as I like to call her, she's different, has been since she was little" the purple haired interrogator informed.

Inoichi even nodded his head to that "Yes, Sakura-chan is quite the unique character, considering who she was taught by for all her years during the academy" Inoichi commented, not elaborating even when his friends shot him demanding looks that said he better explain.

"Taught by for all her years during the academy" Gai echoed also curious, because he'd heard of Sakura Haruno from one of his own students, Neji Hyuga was obsessed with the idea that fate had decided she was the one for him after all so he wanted to learn more about the girl if he could.

Realizing he'd messed up, it probably would have been better if he'd said nothing at all Inoichi sighed "Sasori Akasuna, he taught and trained Sakura-chan, Naruto and Sasuke before he returned to Akatsuki to spy on the organization and feed us information about it" the blonde Patriarch said.

Neither Kakashi or Asuma looked the least bit surprised at the revelation but the other Jonin were horrified "What was his purpose in training them, has any one checked to see if their sleeper agents waiting until the right time to destroy our village from the inside out" Kurenai frowned.

Asuma sighed and pat his secret lover on the shoulder "Their good kids and Akasuna wouldn't turn them against the village he tried to protect from harm himself" Asuma assured, because he knew straight from the source that Sasori had been fond of Leaf despite his pretending.

For several minutes the other Jonin in the lounge were quiet until the Akimichi Patriarch asked one of the most important questions "So how did they say they managed to get through the forest so quickly Kakashi" Choza questioned.

Quite curious and all eyes once again turned to Kakashi who shrugged "Little brats stole a scroll from the booth somehow before they were let into the forest, and they didn't tell me that outright just hinted at it so I don't know how they managed it in the least" Kakashi scowled.

Mask bunching up at the corners while Anko cursed "Fuck I knew I wasn't going crazy when we were down one earth scroll, damn brats making my life miserable, Morino was furious that we had to commission an extra earth scroll last minute" Anko hissed.

Determined once this whole Chunin Exam business was over that she would exact her revenge and Asuma was simply amused because it was something that Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura would do, wreak unintentional havoc.

~The Next Morning~

The genin of Team Seven woke bright and early "Four more of my clones was taken out last night, which means there is only nine left out there to distract" Naruto informed, shuddering at the memories of one specific clone.

"Some crazy Kusagakure ninja tried to bite me on the neck" Sasuke grimaced, proving that it wasn't only Naruto's clones that had been taken out but his as well and he was never so grateful to already be in a safe place.

It was Sakura who had the worst news to give "Not a Kusa nin Sasuke, that was Orochimaru and those musical note headband wearing shinobi you thought were suspicious are in league with him" Sakura grit out having a very good reason to hate Orochimaru and anyone associated with him.

Naruto and Sasuke paled in response "That information could be damning if it were to be leaked to old man Hokage, those genin could be removed before they are allowed to hurt someone" the blonde said trying to find some way to prevent a catastrophe.

"Yes, your right, but Knucklehead others would question their removal from the exam causing mass panic, the Hokage wouldn't want that on his hands" the Uchiha rapped Naruto on the head with his knuckles lightly.

Before looking to Sakura who looked downright murderous "We still have to tell him, that way a plan can be put in place to stop anything from happening" the pinkette declared and the trio shared nods with one another before Sasuke summoned Umo, scribbled a message and sent the hawk off.

Leaving them to sit in silence for a minutes longer until Sakura met her teammates eyes "I think moving forward at this point we have to be super extra careful about what we do, none of us goes anywhere without the others understand until this round ends" Sakura intoned gravely.

Absolutely dead serious as the two boys across from her nodded silently in response "Agreed, we should also try and avoid running into anyone until that time as well, which means we're probably going to be cooped up in this room" Sasuke sighed.

Eyeing the door warily while Naruto pulled a fuinjutsu book out of his pouch "Then it would be best if we barricaded the door" Naruto grimaced, glad that they had more than enough supplies to last them a week or longer if necessary.

As they made a barrier tag, the strongest they could make it and put it on the door followed by activating it so no one could get in without first destroying the barrier, that wasn't all they did, they also moved the desk that was in the room and put it in front of the door as well.

So there they sat for nearly four solid days, keeping away from other contestants as they arrived until it was finally the time for the second round to end and so with trepidation they moved the desk, cleaned up after themselves and removed the barrier tag.

Then finally stepped foot out of the room they had stayed in for the first time since arriving at the tower and promptly ran into someone "Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, where the hell did you three come from" Ino shrieked at the sight of them.

Drawing her own teammates attention onto Team Seven "From this room here Ino-chan" the rosette informed, gesturing to the room they had just exited, Ino was confused for a moment then realization flashed across her face.

Her vague answer also wasn't lost on Shikamaru who narrowed his brown eyes in response to it "Do you mean to say you've been here since the first day and not once came out, you three have to be starving" Shikamaru frowned.

Not sure what the three had been thinking "Unless we had our own food supply Shikamaru then no we wouldn't be starving would we" the Uchiha on the team smirked, being his regular cocky self to Shikamaru's annoyance.

"Question is, is how did you get here on the first day without anyone realizing it" Choji inquired, wanting to know the details of that particular answer but it didn't look like he was going to be getting that as Sakura shook her head in response.

Sasuke and Naruto doing the same "For us to know and you guys to never find out you know" the Uzumaki declared, shooting Ino an apologetic look because he didn't like lying to his friends but Ino nodded in understanding and didn't ask anymore questions.

As they reached the arena where the other genin who had managed to pass the survival round were gathered, all twelve rookies were there coincidentally, Sakura purposefully ignoring Neji when he nodded in satisfaction at her.

Probably thinking something along the lines in his warped head that of course she'd pass the survival round because they were destined to be together, Sasuke smirked when Neji scowled at the clear avoidance and then they were all assembled before the Hokage.

Who was clearly on the alert there was a subtle rigidness to him as he scanned the crowd of genin before finally deciding to greet them "Congratulations to all who have passed but I'm afraid there will have to be a preliminary round to determine who will go on to the final round" Hiruzen said.

Gesturing to Hayate who coughed as he stepped forward "Those who want to participate in the preliminary round head to the right of the balcony, those who want to drop out to the left" Hayate explained also on the alert for any suspicious behavior.

Immediately without even thinking about it or asking Sakura grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's hands and drug them to the right "Gee Sakura-chan what if I wanted to drop out" Naruto deadpanned with a roll of his eyes and she shot him an amused snort.

"Like you were going to Dobe, the three of us are so in sync with one another we don't even have to speak to know each others thoughts and feelings about certain things" Sasuke scoffed and Naruto glowered at him in fake annoyance.

Until Sakura's quiet laughter got to him and he started laughing as well "You two are ridiculous" Sakura shook her head, gazing across the arena to the other side where the dropouts were gathered, her laughter immediately cut off when she met Kabuto's gaze.

And she hurriedly looked away when he gave her that spine tingling smile that gave her the heebie-jeebies, Naruto and Sasuke sensed the sudden tension in their teammate prompting all amusement to fade from their expressions.

Just as Hayate stood in the middle of the arena and pointed to an electronic board "The preliminary round will consist of one on one matches, the pairings of the matches will be decided at random via the electronic board" the brunet coughed.

Finishing in time when the board started flashing through names and landed on one particular pairing that had Sasuke groaning because it was his name that was up there first "Bad luck like usual then" the current heir of the Uchiha Clan scowled.

Heading down into the arena to commence with his match "Yo, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan" Kakashi greeted from behind suddenly when their attention was solely on Sasuke, the two genin in question spun around with matching scowls at him for scaring them out of their wits like he had.

"Couldn't be less of a creeper Kakashi-sensei, at least warn us before scaring us out of minds" the fuscia haired teen intoned scathingly, heart pounding against her ribcage, Kakashi gave her an innocent look that she didn't believe for even a second.

Nor did Naruto believe it as he rolled his eyes "Kakashi-sensei you did that on purpose" the blonde sniffed indignantly before turning back around to watch Sasuke's match against Yoroi Akado, one of Kabuto's teammates if he wasn't wrong considering how the guy was dressed.

Kakashi ruffled their hair lightly then stood back to watch Sasuke's match himself since the boy was his student after all, so he wasn't all to surprised when Sasuke won and was the first contestant to make it through to the final round of the Chunin Exams.

Up next was one of Kurenai's students Shino Aburame but what got Kakashi was how each of his students glared at the Sound Ninja, if that wasn't enough, he took careful note of how even the Hokage stared hard at the shinobi from the foreign village.

It was something he would have to question his students about later in the safety of their own home, then his attention was back on the match just as Zaku used a jutsu and it rebounded on him, tearing his arms to shreds.

Many looked visibly ill, not his students though and then Zaku was carted off on a stretcher by the medics and Shino joined them in the stand again, next came one of the Cloud Shinobi Karui verses one of the few Kusa genin that had managed to make it through the forest.

Though he was low on chakra which was to Karui's favor in the end as she unleashed a lightning style jutsu on the boy earning her a pass straight to the final round of the Chunin Exams, next up was Kankuro vs the last teammate of Kabuto's.

Sakura watched intensely for some reason until he realized she was analyzing Kankuro's style of fighting with his puppets, in the end the Suna Genin won, making it four contestants through to the final round so far.

At this point Hayate called for a quick break, Ino decided that she wanted to freshen up a bit, grabbed Sakura by the hand and together the two girls vanished, Asuma shaking his head lightly in amusement while Kurenai frowned.

~In the bathroom~

"Okay spill it Ino whats up with dragging me along with you when your perfectly able of going by yourself" Sakura frowned wondering what was up with her best friend since the age of five, the only one until Sasori had come along, followed by Naruto, and then Sasuke.

The Yamanaka Heiress pursed her lips "Cause I think in a freaky twist of fate we're going to be matched against each other so I wanted to let you know before hand that if I'm right I'm going to forfeit and let you advance" Ino said.

Getting a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach, though it was clear Sakura wasn't to happy about it "Why, don't you want a chance to become a Chunin Ino-chan, how can you do that if you drop out if that even happens" the pinkette asked.

Ino twisted a long blonde lock of hair around her finger "Sakura, your my best friend okay, I couldn't fight you even if I tried alright, plus after all the shit that's happened to you I think you more than deserve to show everyone how kick ass you actually are" the blonde declared.

Sakura opened her mouth to argue only to find she had nothing to say "Damn it Ino your so irritating sometimes, fine, but that's only if we're matched against one another" Sakura huffed acting like she was irritated when really her heart fluttered in her chest with happiness.

"Good and I know its going to happen, just that gut feeling you know…..oh and Sakura I'm irritating on purpose" Ino cackled as she dashed from the bathroom ahead of her friend, making it back to the balcony first right as the break ended.

And that god awful electronic board started up again Sakura was mock scowling at Ino when as the blonde predicted their names were matched against one another "Ino" Asuma asked when his student forfeited the match and Sakura won by default.

He didn't get an answer though as the girl pointedly avoided his questioning gaze, this not helping Kurenai's fear that the genin of Team Seven were intent on taking over the Leaf Village someday as Sasori Akasuna's sleeper agents.

Next up was Temari vs Tenten, the lone kunoichi on Neji's team and she was crushed humiliatingly fast by the four-tailed blonde, Shikamaru took his win against another Sound Shinobi, Kin Tsuchi and that was seven contestants for the final round through already.

Leaving many more, such as the remaining Cloud Shinobi who were in another shocking twist of fate matched against each other with Omoi managing to scrape by against the powerhouse Shunsui, followed by Naruto vs Kiba.

Naruto played the part of the goofy idiot perfectly and still pulled off a win, the whole of Team Seven was through to the final round, after Naruto's match came Neji vs Hinata, Sakura curled her lip as the Hyuga verbally degraded the shy girl.

And if that wasn't enough he tried to kill her as well and that was something she just couldn't stand with a quick look of askance to Kakashi who tilted his head in answer she was down in the arena, hands already glowing a bright green.

Knowing that if something wasn't done before the medics got there Hinata would die "You should leave that weakling alone Sakura, fate has decreed it after all" Neji informed arrogantly and got a venomous glare shot his way.

It was so venomous that he actually took a step back in response before realizing what he'd done "Fate my ass Neji, your just…forget it your the one not worth it, at least Hinata doesn't look down on people" Sakura snapped.

Shaking her head knowing that she couldn't change Neji, it wasn't her responsibility nor did she want that responsibility, with that she simply focused on healing Hinata until the medics came and took her away and then she returned to the balcony to stand with her teammates and sensei.

Tension was thick as the next match was called Gaara vs Rock Lee, Gaara won by a landslide and Lee escaped with his life in tact, followed by the last match, the last Sound shinobi Dosu Kinuta vs Choji in which Dosu won.

With that the preliminary round was over with a whopping twelve contestants participating in the final round of the Chunin Exams "Well done, well done, it's good to see such promising potential among the genin, but before I let you go, you'll find out here who you'll be fighting" the Hokage clapped.

Proud of the genin before him, more his own village's genin than the other village genin but he was proud nonetheless as they drew numbers "From one to twelve, that person who has the number after them is who they'll be fighting" Hayate coughed.

Naruto drew one, Neji two, Shikamaru three, Dosu four, Kankuro five, Shino six, Sakura seven, Temari eight, Karui nine, Omoi ten, Sasuke eleven and Gaara twelve "Good, we'll see you in a month be sure to rest up and train to improve your skills" Hiruzen announced.

Dismissing the genin as their sensei body flickered them from the forest of death so they could go home, and almost immediately upon arriving Kakashi sat his students down "Talk, I want to know what is going on now" Kakashi ordered.

Because he didn't want to be out of the loop "Kakashi-kun" Minato asked in confusion seeing the dead serious look on his former students face and the equally grim faces of his former students, student's, so he promptly sat as well.

Sakura exhaled "Those Sound Ninja are in league with Orochimaru, whose after Sasuke and I think Kabuto Yakushi, the one at the hospital is also in league with Orochimaru" Sakura admitted glaring furiously at the table as she did so.

Kakashi grew rigid in response "Does Hokage-sama know and your going to tell me how you even know that information in the first place" the Copy Ninja demanded, though he was secretly glad they weren't trying to lie or hide the how and the why from him.

"Umo, it was the morning after we arrived at the tower the second day, I sent him to Hokage-sama letting him know so that a plan could be put in place so the Sannin can't do anything to our village" Sasuke crossed his arms.

Leaving the last bit to Naruto "And how is because of clones, before we entered the forest we sent out fifteen clones of ourselves each, that stupid Snake guy approached our clones repeatedly as did those Sound guys who told us who they were working for" Naruto finished.

And Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose in response, Minato couldn't help but chuckle "Well at least we're well informed" the former Hokage shrugged, intending on going to speak with Hiruzen himself know that he knew.

Kakashi sighed "Keep it to yourselves but also keep an eye out, subtly understand, seeing as you'll each be training under someone other than I for this month, Sasuke with me, Naruto with Minato-sensei and Sakura-chan, with Anko" Kakashi informed.

Just in the nick of time as their house guests arrived via the front door unlike how they'd been body flickered directly inside, Kakashi was getting ready to head into the kitchen when he remembered something else that he wanted to ask.

"By the way Sakura-chan, when you and Ino went to the bathroom what did you talk about" the silver haired Jonin asked, brow raised indicating that she better answer, funny how the others eyed her curiously in response as well.

Until Sakura scowled at him "Ino told me that she thought we were going to be matched vs each other so decided to tell me that if it happened she was going to forfeit and let me advance, it was her decision and she wouldn't let me argue" the rosette huffed.

Vanishing ahead of her sensei where she got busy cooking dinner "I don't think we'll ever be able to keep up with those two girls you know" the blonde Uzumaki heaved a great big sigh followed by plopping down on the couch next to Shunsui.

Who looked bummed he hadn't managed to make it to the final round "Cheer up Shunsui, you did your best" Samui made an attempt to lift her unlikely students spirits and got a small nod and smile for her efforts.

"Plus think it could be you against Karui since somehow we managed to unluckily get matched vs each other" Omoi groaned knowing it was going to be one hell of a battle against his teammate, Shunsui nodded in understanding and that was that.

While Karui rolled her eyes "You boys are always so melodramatic" Karui snorted, then in a moment of sheer randomness decided to head into the kitchen to speak with the girl her age in the house since they got so little time to do so.

Sakura paused in what she was doing when Karui sat at the table "Whats up Karui-san, the boys driving you crazy or something" Sakura joked lightly, prompting a smile from the redhead before her expression became just a tiny bit more serious.

Making Sakura echo that seriousness "In the forest, Omoi, Shunsui and I overheard those Otogakure genin one night, they kept talking about how they were going to kill Sasuke for Orochimaru the Sannin, do you know anything about that Sakura" the redhead from Cloud asked.

And Sakura knew she couldn't hide the truth so she turned around "My guess is that Orochimaru's after Sasuke's sharingan, when training keep your eyes and ears open Karui-san because he, Otogakure and Sunagakure are planning something, that I'm sure of" the pinkette intoned grimly.

"Got it, I'll let Samui know so that she can help out, it's our right as allies, anyway it seemed like that Hyuga guy had a thing for you, he kept staring after all" Karui questioned as Sakura returned to preparing lunch for them.

This also prompted a snort "Neji Hyuga is delusional Karui, he thinks just because I beat him in a spar once that we're fated to be together and he thinks by continually trying to pressure me to be in a relationship with him that I'll want to be with him" Sakura rolled her eyes.

Disliking the Hyuga even more now that he had tried to kill quiet, shy, gentle little Hinata "Ouch, burn" the golden eyed genin hissed though her eyes were full of laughter and just like that their conversation was over as others crowded in the kitchen.

Lunch when finished was just as delicious as usual and the genin decided to be positively lazy for the rest of the afternoon well up to after dinner as well before finally bidding the adults in the house goodnight so they could rest up for tomorrow when their training would begin.


	21. Chapter 20

Expecting Anko to do something crazy to get her up for training, Sakura was awake and ready for the purple haired interrogator at five in the morning, having been awake an hour already enough to make breakfast and eat and to leave a note.

So when Anko did appear in her room as silently as the snakes she used the woman was annoyed and disappointed that she didn't get to scare the wits out of her little apprentice for the month "Morning Anko-sensei" Sakura quipped cheerily.

Inwardly enjoying the annoyed disappointment that was plain to see on the woman's face "Stupid Pinky you ruin all my fun" Anko hissed before grabbing the girl by the back of her yukata and disappearing just as silently as she'd arrived so they could get to training.

By the time the others in the house were awake they all noticed Sakura's absence at the breakfast table "Don't worry boys, she left a note" Kakashi chuckled seeing their worried expressions, it was cute how they fussed over their female teammates sometimes and to end their torment also read the note for them.

 _~Anko-sensei has kidnapped me for training, breakfast is in the oven, make sure you eat and take care of yourselves because I don't think we'll be able to spend a lot of time together this month oh and make sure to clean up as well._

 _From Sakura~_

Minato chuckled in amusement while Naruto and Sasuke groaned "Great, oh well at least we're not the ones being trained by Mitarashi" Sasuke shuddered, being taught under the woman at T&I was bad enough.

"Yeah, poor Sakura-chan" Naruto grimaced, remembering the times Anko had used her snakes to tie him and Sasuke together just for talking to much and Sakura was going to be subjected to that all month.

Off to the side "Geez your acting like this Mitarashi person is going to kill Sakura, it's just training, she'll live" Karui rolled her eyes at their melodramatics, though could see why Sakura was all the time having reign the two in, they could get annoying at the worst of times.

Sasuke and Naruto cringed in response "Karui-san is right Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, Anko-san won't seriously hurt Sakura" Minato nodded joining the conversation at long last as he had been busy making plates for everyone.

"Though one does have to wonder how long Sakura has been awake already" Omoi commented chewing on a piece of sausage, having taken a great liking to the girl who had welcomed them readily with open arms at that.

Beside him, Shunsui shrugged but Samui contemplated the question "Probably since around four I think, I thought I heard movement around that time" Samui answered after a short time, with that they finished eating, cleaned up and went their separate ways to train as Sakura was.

Who was currently dodging for her life as Anko had decided to enact the first phase of revenge against the stupid brats who had caused her a headache by siccing her snakes on the girl, poisonous snakes at that.

Pinky wasn't making it easy though "Guess what they said about you being trained by Akasuna was right" the purple haired interrogator couldn't help but say, what shocked her though was when Sakura actually stumbled and she had to call of her snakes quick before they actually bit the girl.

Meanwhile Sakura was looking like she'd had her heart torn out "That's right, Sa..Sasori-sensei trained Naruto, Sasuke and I" the rosette exhaled, managing to say his name for the first time since the man had left.

It also made her realize how much she actually missed Sasori, soft brown eyes softened "Can I ask you a few questions about that Sakura" Anko inquired, wanting to put an end to her own doubts about the genin of Team Seven.

"Go ahead Anko-sensei, a break sounds nice right about now" Sakura laughed glad to relieve her aching calf muscles from the last two hours of dodging deadly snakes, Anko gestured to a couple of chairs so they both sat.

Then Anko took a deep breath "How did you meet Akasuna, why did he train you three in the first place, did he ever mention attacking the Leaf Village in the future" the purple haired Jonin spewed questions like rapid-fire.

Before staring expectantly at Sakura who blinked "I met Sasori-sensei when I was five in the park, he told me he saw someone who was going to be strong and set out to train me, Naruto and Sasuke just joined afterwards and no, why would Sasori-sensei do something like that" the pinkette frowned.

Looking confused, it only took a couple of second for Anko to realized Sakura had no idea who Sasori Akasuna actually was "Just a trick question brat, now back to training" Anko stood quickly not wanting to be the one to tell the brat just what her pre-genin sensei was.

Clearly Sakura thought nothing more of the question as she immediately jumped back into dodging for her life until it was three hours before dinner time, her stomach was rumbling in hunger not to mention her calves ached and her lungs heaved from exertion.

"M..May I go now" Sakura wheezed not able to take another minute of training, it was already to the point where the following day would be like hell on earth for her body, Anko waved her off and she gladly escaped from T&I.

Happily heading in the direction of the Uchiha Compound when a thought occurred to her so she swung around and made a mad dash to the Hokage Tower, waited semi-patiently for the receptionist to see if he was available.

And finally hurriedly dashed into the Hokage's office "Sakura-chan what brings you here so late in the day, I thought you would have been training as you so diligently are most of the time" Hiruzen raised a brow at the young girl.

Who breathed heavily for a moment as if she'd run all the way there "I..I'm here for any other letters Sasori-sensei may have sent me" the pinkette informed, finally admitting to herself that she missed the man.

Hiruzen nodded, inwardly relieved that she was open to such a thing now "Of course, give me a moment I put them somewhere, hmm, ah here we go Sakura-chan, four letters, I think a couple of them go to Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun though" the Hokage said.

Finding the letter scrolls after rifling around in his desk for a few minutes and handing them over to their intended receiver, Sakura quite happily thanked him and skipped out of his office a second later, intent on getting home now that she'd gotten what she wanted.

Upon arriving she found Shunsui the only one there "Are they still out training" Sakura asked setting down the letter scrolls on her table, Shunsui nodded unable to communicate verbally after all and she shrugged.

Not like it was any different to what she had been doing "Guess I'll just go ahead and get started on making dinner then" the fuscia haired teen announced, disappearing into the kitchen to do just that the silent Shunsui on her heels.

He'd probably been at the house alone for hours what with his teammates out training and the others of the house doing the same and was grateful to have someone there to fill the all consuming silence of the house.

Which she filled with the sound of humming, Shunsui at the counter, merely listening and tapping his foot along to the tune until supper was ready, she was just sitting down when Shisui decided to pop by "What's this on a date Sakura-chan" Shisui chuckled teasingly.

Earning a glare "No, not saying Shunsui-san is bad, but just no, you should know better than to joke about stuff like that Shisui-san" Sakura snapped, peaceful atmosphere ruined with her mood quickly souring at the horrible joke Shisui had tried to make.

Shisui winced then looked around before realizing it really was just the two of them alone there "Still out training are they" the Uchiha asked awkwardly, inwardly berating himself for opening his mouth and saying the wrong thing yet again.

Sakura sniffed but nodded "Yeah if their not back before dark I'm going to send Aimai with bento's full of this supper cause I'm sure their hungry" the rosette explained, including Omoi, Samui and Karui amongst those she'd send bento's to.

"Very generous Sakura-chan, anyway enjoy the rest of your dinner okay and sorry that was a terrible joke" Shisui apologized and the glare lessened before all together vanishing as he body flickered back to his apartment leaving the duo alone.

To finish supper where no one showed up at all "Okay seems like I'm sending those bento's after all" Sakura shrugged not in the least bit bothered about having to do this and so she immediately made up seven bento's, summoned her bats and sent them to deliver their packages.

Before starting the after dinner cleanup until the entire kitchen was put back to rights, it was then things took a bad turn for the day as Aimai returned, flitting about in a panic "Sakura-sama, Aimai saw something terrible" Aimai hurriedly explained.

Saying that she'd seen the sensei for the Sand Genin, along with Kabuto Yakushi attacking a Konohagakure ninja and now that ninja was severely injured, "Shunsui-san you know where the main house is right, give this to Fugaku-sama please" the pinkette scribbled a message.

Handed it over to Shunsui who had snapped to then Sakura was simply gone, Aimai leading the way to where the injured shinobi was, meanwhile Shunsui had done as asked and headed for the Uchiha main family house.

Where the Uchiha Clan Heads were just now finishing up their own dinner "Oh Shunsui-san what brings you here so late" Mikoto was the first to notice the teenager who promptly handed a note in familiar handwriting over to her husband.

 _~Injured shinobi, Sand Jonin and Yakushi Kabuto are the culprits, gone to heal, please send backup just in case._

 _Sakura~_

Fugaku read the hastily scribbled message then flared his chakra, Shisui appeared without a seconds hesitation "One of our own was attacked, Sakura's gone to heal him, we're going to make sure she remains safe" Fugaku ordered.

Immediately honing in on Sakura's chakra which was like a beacon, Shisui nodded and together they were both off, arriving in time to see Sakura just now kneeling down at the injured shinobi's side, the shinobi was someone they recognized, Hayate Gekkou.

And he had a huge gash that ran from his shoulder to his hip bone, his face was pale but at least he was still breathing as Sakura placed already brightly glowing green hands on Hayate's chest to begin healing him so they could take him to the hospital.

"How did you find out he was injured Sakura" the younger Uchiha asked not having thought the evening would take a turn as drastic as this one was, though he was glad she had her head on straight even if he upset her a lot.

Emerald orbs flickered briefly in his direction, relief visible in the iris before explaining "Aimai, you know my bat summons, I sent her and a couple others out to deliver supper to everyone, Aimai came back in a panic and told me she witnessed the attack" Sakura admitted.

Next to Shisui, Fugaku nodded "Akasuna chose right then when he picked out the bat summons for you to sign on with" the Uchiha Patriarch smirked before his expression became a little more serious, what was even more shocking was how Sakura simply nodded.

A fond smile on her lips before she to became more serious about her task and the gash little by little closed until she couldn't heal anymore "We can't take him to the hospital, Yakushi works there, he'll know and ask around how Hayate-sensei got there" the fuscia haired teen said.

Wrapping what was left of the injury, unfortunately both Uchiha's seemed to agree with her "Leave informing Hokage-sama to me Sakura, Shisui help her get him to the house in the compound" Fugaku ordered.

Vanishing in a plume of smoke while Shisui bent and hefted a now awake Hayate onto his feet "Come on, you to Sakura-chan" Shisui held out his arm for her to take and he whisked the three of them away to the compound.

More specifically the house shared by Team Seven "Better tell Morino that I won't be able to report in" Hayate coughed, glad that he would live to see another day even if technically he would have to be in hiding until the perpetrators infiltrating their village was caught.

"Got it, which ones Kakashi's room Sakura-chan, he can't stay in these bloody clothes it won't be healthy for him" the Uchiha asked once they had made it inside, Shunsui the silent witness to their return as they disappeared up the stairs and took a right.

Keeping him close to Sakura's room was the best choice after all "Down the hall where Naruto and Sasuke's rooms are, it's right across the hall from Naruto's room actually" Sakura informed, helping Hayate sit and keeping him upright for now.

That way blood didn't get all over the sheets, it would be a pain to change them, at her answer Shisui vanished yet again "Thank you Sakura-san but I expect an explanation as to how in the morning" the brunet coughed.

Sakura merely nodded "Might be early in the morning Hayate-sensei cause Anko-sensei will come and get me at five again probably" the pinkette grimaced supporting the special Jonin with all her strength, now exhausted at this point.

In the nick of time Shisui returned and shooed her from the room and soon Hayate was dressed in clean clothes, Kakashi's sure but they fit the other man quite well, Shisui saluted Sakura and just like that was gone to report to Morino about the situation.

Leaving Sakura to leave Hayate to his rest to do the same, seeing as no one else was going to be coming back and it was late so after taking a quick but relaxing shower using some special oil to massage her calves Sakura headed to bed.

Only to wake up at four again the following morning, curse Anko while making breakfast, tend Hayate, explain how she had managed to find out what had happened and rescue him in time, make sure he had breakfast all before Anko showed up to kidnap her for training at five again.

"We're proud of you Pinky, Akasuna taught you right" Anko commented when it was lunch time and she knew she couldn't keep the girl away from the house this time seeing as she had an injured patient that needed tending to.

Sakura smiled brightly in response "He told me I would be strong and I am and only getting stronger, see you after lunch Anko-sensei" Sakura waved heading from T&I for the second day in a row and made it back to the house in record time.

Visibly brightening as she caught Naruto with Minato at the door getting ready to head in themselves "Sakura-chan, thank you for dinner last night" Naruto shot his patented whiskered grin at her when he caught movement out of his peripheral only to brighten as he realized who it was.

"Yes thank you and we also heard of your valiant rescue last night to, all Jonin we're pulled in to a meeting with the Hokage" Minato paused in opening the door and tilted his head in acknowledgement at the young girl.

Pride radiated from her entire being in response and soon they were inside where the others were as well "Sakura" Sasuke shot into a standing position at the sight of her only to slide back down into his seat in relief.

Kakashi chuckled in response "I'm fine Sasuke, Fugaku-sama and Shisui-san was with me last night and Hayate-sensei is resting up nice and well in a guest room upstairs" the rosette assured as she took a seat at the table.

Where a plate was set down in front of her courtesy Shunsui, who was quite culinary inclined, who knew apparently not his teammates, who were sharing baffled looks with one another "By the way dinner last night was delicious" Kakashi added, giving thanks where it was due.

His student didn't need to send them bento's but she did and he was forever grateful "Wait who all got bento's from Sakura last night" Omoi asked, everyone but Shunsui raised their hand, and he realized she, despite whatever hellish training she had endured still managed to find time to take care of them.

"Either way thank you Sakura-san, and we'll try to be here for dinner, if not we apologize ahead of time" Samui nodded her head politely at Sakura who nodded back, then tucked in seeing as there was only so long Anko would allow her before she had to get back to training.

As such she was the first one finished eating, complete with dishes washed and dried, so she hurriedly vanished upstairs with an extra plate of food and her medical pouch "Always busy that one" Karui commented.

Barely having seen the girl stop for any long period of time since they got there for the Chunin Exams, fifteen minutes later Sakura was back, putting on her sandals in record time before disappearing from the house yet again.

"Good your back, so since I don't want to keep you doing the same thing the entire time why don't we work on your plan to defeat your opponent, what kind of idea do you have in mind to beat her" Anko declared.

Having gotten her revenge on the girl, Naruto and Sasuke were next but they could wait, right now it was time to get serious "Well I thought perhaps I could work on my earth nature jutsu's, get her with a cheap water jutsu and knock her out with some knock out gas" Sakura shrugged.

Not having had much time to really think about her plan of attack against Temari "That's not a bad foundation Sakura, but lets hear some expansion on it" the purple haired Jonin clapped, interested in seeing how far the girl would go to win her match.

Plus she knew Sakura had a tactical mind behind that large forehead of hers "Lets see I know that Temari is a long range fighter, but what if I were to use my earth nature to snatch that fan of hers" the rosette grinned.

"Oooh diabolical Pinky, because blondy might not be good at close range attacks allowing you to sweep in with good ole fashion taijutsu as well" Anko nodded, liking how this was planning out already, perhaps Asuma had it right, budding strategists indeed.

Sakura tapped her lip in thought "Not only that I could also go for shock value and show her that I'm able to do something that's native to her own village" Sakura admitted, eyeing the scroll with her only hand crafted puppet so far.

Considering she hadn't had any time to work on anymore with the craziness that was her life "You mean he taught you puppetry" the purple haired interrogator intoned incredulously, getting more and more confused about Sasori Akasuna by the minute.

The biggest question she had was why would he betray his own village, only to then turn around and betray his organization just to come teach a civilian girl "I taught myself puppetry" the pinkette sniffed in answer.

It was the only thing Sasori had never taught her, Anko looked surprised but continued asking her to explain her plan until it was two hours before dinner "Go home Sakura, eat, rest up and tomorrow we'll be back at this got it" Anko dismissed the girl.

Who looked like she'd been through hell "Understood Anko-sensei" Sakura saluted then turned on her heel and hurried off, making Anko contemplate teaching the girl how to bleeding body flicker so she didn't have to walk everywhere.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura was back home to find a few others home as well "Kakashi-kun said they wouldn't be able to make it" Minato informed already doling out dinner for those that were there, i.e himself, Naruto, Shunsui, and Sakura.

Cloud Shinobi, Kakashi and Sasuke still training "That's okay I can just send them bento's" the fuscia haired teen said, grabbing an extra plate and piling food on it for Hayate who was sitting up via a mountain of pillows.

He looked up from his book on kenjutsu when she entered the guest room he was taking up residency in "Sakura-san, here to change the bandages again" Hayate asked when she placed the plate of food in her hand down.

Only to immediately reach for the roll of clean bandages on the bedside table "Here Sakura-chan let me help as well, seeing as I'm also a medic in training" Naruto burst his way into the room less than a second later.

Wanting to help in anyway that he could and soon they were leaving Hayate to eat in piece, old bandages thrown away to be burned later if possible, Sakura tucked in to her cooling dinner, then stood to go take a shower after sending off bento's to those who hadn't come back again.

It was then she spotted the scrolls on her table as she walked by it, making her remember, so she sneakily snatched them, promising to give Naruto and Sasuke their letters later when she could and disappeared upstairs into her lab to read the letters meant for her.

 _~Sakura_

 _I know your probably angry with me, after all I turned around and abandoned you, leaving you just as your parents did and I will never be able to apologize enough for it, but don't let personal feelings interfere with your missions._

 _My search for your parents have led me clear to Stone but the possibility of them being in Iwa is highly unlikely, Orochimaru has most likely hid them in one of his various bases scattered around the nations but don't give up._

 _Sasori~_

 _~Sakura_

 _Damn it, I hate to tell you this but Orochimaru's planning on infiltrating Leaf, keep an eye on Uchiha that snake is after the boys newly unlocked Sharingan and keep yourself safe as well, though you'll probably ignore this letter and the favor I'm asking of you._

 _Orochimaru will not honor any promises which is why I've been watching him lately, nearby Leaf I can't enter or be immediately detected but he's plotting to kill the Kazekage and impersonate him during the final round._

 _Which is the focal point for the Coup that he's planning, your Hokage is in danger because Orochimaru is also after him, please find a way to pass this message on to one of the Sand Ninja, discretely it's imperative._

 _Sasori~_

Those were the two letters, Sakura's heart ached in response knowing that he was somewhere nearby but couldn't come see her, Naruto or Sasuke for fear of being seen by Orochimaru and that Sasori was also counting on her to make sure the Hokage knew of the danger to his life.

Even Sunagakure was being used by Orochimaru, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut for a moment then made the ultimate decision no matter how exhausted she was, Sasori had given her a task and she was going to complete it no matter what.

So she started by creating a clone, drew a chakra suppression seal on it's shoulder as she made it then transform into her alter ego Hideki, then scribbled a message for it to take before casting the chameleon jutsu on the clone and sent it out the window.

While she crawled into bed, her alter ego clone honed in on Gaara's chakra, easily found and headed that way message in hand "The hell are you" Temari barked when a purple haired teenager suddenly appeared before them.

Missive in hand "Not important, what's important is this message right here, I would be wary who I ally myself with after this" the Sakura clone in her Hideki form rumbled smoothly, holding out the message to the Suna Jonin who'd tried to kill Hayate just the other night.

Baki took it with careful movements and read the message suspiciously "Beware Orochimaru plots to kill and impersonate your Kazekage" Baki frowned, now even more suspicious of the teenager before him.

"Who sent you can you at least tell us that and can you be sure this is credible" Kankuro snapped, attaching chakra strings to the teenager since the kid wouldn't give them his name, it was slightly annoying actually.

But the kid shook his head "I'm sure if I should say, it would just alarm you even more, but I will tell you this, he's on your side, more than Orochimaru is that's for damn sure" the purple haired teenager snorted and then simply disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Making it seem like he'd body flickered when really he merely vanished from existence "I think we should believe him and whoever sent him and cut ties with the Sannin" Gaara rumbled, having been changed since that day the second round of the Chunin Exams had begun.

His sensei growled under his breath in frustration "Then tomorrow I'll make my way back to Sand to inform Kazekage-sama of this new development and see what he wants to do" the turban wearing Jonin nodded decisively after a moment.

During this time Sakura had laid down in her bed intent on getting some shut eye because she knew the next day would be like hell, training with Anko would always be like that and soon enough she was sleeping peacefully.

Imagine her surprise when Anko didn't immediately summon her snakes to have her dodge instead began a lesson, one she would never forget "Listen up Pinky I'm going to be teaching you the body flicker" Anko said.

Explaining the mechanics of the technique, the hand sign and all that before demonstrating "And I can incorporate whatever substance I want for when I body flicker" Sakura asked looking more than a little intrigued by the concept of the body flicker jutsu.

Though it was just a high speed movement, a genin performing it would wow the crowd or so Anko said "Pretty much Sakura, though I can guess what you want to use as your signature" the purple haired interrogator smirked.

"Cherry blossoms, though I want them to be purple, for now I just want to practice this and get it down before trying to add any substance" the rosette declared not even having to think about it really before Anko made her start practicing.

By lunch she had it partially down, meaning that she could body flicker a very short distance, so despite knowing the technique now she still had to leave T&I the usual way to get back home where it was just her and Shunsui for lunch.

And then it was back to T&I to work on her strategy some more before being released an hour before dinner this time "Yikes you look like hell" Sasuke grimaced when she entered the house behind him and Kakashi.

His comment got a half-hearted glare "Anko-sensei is brutal I think Sasori-sensei and her would be two peas in a pod" Sakura snorted, surprising Sasuke at the mention of their erstwhile sensei, even Kakashi looked surprised.

"Oh and why do you say that Sakura-chan" Kakashi inquired curiously as they traipsed into the kitchen, dinner already waiting for them on the table, there was even an extra plate made for Hayate that she grabbed.

Giving Kakashi an apologetic smile as she headed up the stairs plate in hand to tend to Hayate first who was looking much better "Tomorrow I think I'll be able to get up and move around" Hayate commented not wanting to stay sitting the entire time he was her guest.

Sakura smiled at him tending him with patient hands as she looked over the injury that had been inflicted upon him "Yeah I think so to Hayate-sensei" the pinkette nodded giving the man the go ahead so long as he didn't leave he would be safe.

Then she handed him the plate of food and went back downstairs finally answering Kakashi's answer in the meantime "Because they both like to mess with people and silently get a kick out of it" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Agreed funny how I never made the connection until just now" the current Uchiha clan heir scowled, itching to ask what had changed but not wanting to ruin the good mood Sakura seemed to be in despite how tired she looked.

Kakashi merely shook his head with a chuckle, watching because as soon as Sakura was done eating she took what was left of the food and sent it out to the others that were still training via her bats who she also took great care of before heading upstairs to shower and head to bed.

"You as well Sasuke, head to bed and get some rest alright" the Copy Ninja ordered sending Sasuke scrambling from the kitchen to shower and go to bed as well, followed by himself and the following morning Hayate was downstairs for once.

Perusing the bookshelf, Sakura noticeably absent as she had been every morning thus far even though she returned without fail for lunch and dinner each night until two weeks had passed by "Take a break today Pinky I've got things to do" Anko told her.

When she showed up at the usual time so Sakura happily went back to sleep for a couple more hours "Sakura-san I didn't think you were still here" Hayate coughed, from where he was seated on the couch reading one of Sasuke's kenjutsu books, brow raised on her as she came down the stairs.

"Anko-sensei told me to take a break today, so I thought I'd go to the market and if there was anything you needed I could get it for you" the pinkette informed as she joined him on the couch, Shunsui in a chair across from them also reading.

Hayate nodded then contemplated the idea "Clothes, my clothes, the address to my apartment is here, just knock Genma will answer" the brunet said finally wanting to wear his own clothes again seeing as no one could come visit him as it would just tip off Kabuto that he was still alive.

The genin nodded and took the piece of paper he'd scribbled his address on along with a note for Genma, "Okay I'll be back soon" Sakura waved as she hopped up and disappeared from the house, headed for the market of the Leaf Village.

Imagine her surprise when Kankuro of all people approached her "Hey your Temari's opponent for the final round the brat that stopped me from hitting that other punk right" Kankuro asked, eyeing his surroundings warily before stepping closer.

Lifting a fuscia brow Sakura nodded "Yeah what of it, don't tell me your still holding a grudge against me for that" the fuscia haired teen frowned, Kankuro shook his head and rubbed his hands together nervously.

Followed by lowering his voice even more "No, just uh wanted to er…shoot, make nice with you and all so that we could be friends" the older teenager grimaced, practically rambling nonsense at this point.

But through all that Sakura understood that he was trying to warn her but he was afraid of being found out "Sure how about you come back to my place with me once I finish my errands and we can make nice there" Sakura shrugged.

Repeating his words "Er good to know Pinky…Sakura, hehe" Kankuro laughed sheepishly still looking extremely nervous as he followed her around while she bought groceries then she made him wait for several minutes as she vanished from the market.

Only to return with a scroll "Okay Kankuro my house is this way" the pinkette gestured, leading him to her old house in the civilian section of the village, it was on lockdown and only she was able to access it, thanks to Sasori.

The minute they were inside Sakura dropped her things and pinned the older teen against the wall "Speak quickly because I already know about your village's dealings with Orochimaru" Sakura demanded, emerald orbs hardened with suppressed fury.

Kankuro gulped visibly as what could be seen of his face beneath the face paint paled "We cut our ties, well my Father did who happens to be the Kazekage, just know that when its time we'll help defend this Leaf from Orochimaru that traitor" the brunet coughed.

Wincing at the tight grip the younger girl had on him "And why should I believe you, especially when your sensei and Kabuto Yakushi killed one of our own not to long ago" the rosette lied wanting to see how far he'd got to make her believe he was trying to do the right thing.

"Just how the hell do you even know about that, anyway Baki-sensei does look guilty about the whole thing even though he knows apologizing won't bring that guy back" Kankuro gaped before admitting the rest.

Inwardly sighing when the girl loosened her hold on him "Sorry about that, I just wanted to make sure you could try to attack me before I found out what you wanted" Sakura apologized once she'd scooped up the scrolls she'd dropped.

Making Kankuro eye her warily "Your not as naive as we thought you were" he commented and Sakura snorted "By the way, the way you said his name sounded as if you positively hated the Snake Sannin care to share why" the brunet asked.

Sakura narrowed peridot orbs on him "He stole my parents when I was ten and I swore an oath to put an arrow straight in that bastards heart" the pinkette declared, deadly serious and Kankuro believed her.

It was then he finally got a good look around "This isn't where you live" Kankuro accused when they headed back out the door, dust had been on everything he could see just from where he was standing so he knew she'd led him somewhere other than to her home.

"Of course not Kankuro but anyone following you will believe that, that is my home" Sakura scoffed with a roll of her eyes, then without waiting for anymore questions disappeared in a swirl of purple cherry blossoms, executing the body flicker jutsu to return home speedily.

And before she knew it the final two weeks before the finals of the Chunin Exams had arrived, was she ready, Sakura didn't know but what she did know was that at the very least she was prepared to fight in order to protect her village.


	22. Chapter 21

~The Morning Of~

"Hey you ready to go Sakura-chan" Naruto questioned her at the breakfast table, Kakashi and Sasuke noticeably absent, alongside Minato, Samui and Shunsui surprisingly, leaving the two of them, Hayate plus Omoi and Karui.

She tilted her head at him in answer "No, this day is going to be a disaster I just know it" Sakura scowled and if she saw that damnable snake he was going to taste her metal arrows, Naruto shuddered in response wondering what she was thinking about.

While Omoi and Karui shared a look with one another "Do you think something bad is going to happen today" Omoi asked, lowering his voice not wanting the jonin in the living room to hear their conversation.

In response Sakura pursed her lips "Come on spill, how can we help if we can help at all" Karui demanded in a near silent whisper that had Naruto and Omoi straining their ears in order to hear but they got the gist of it.

After shooting a look at the door Sakura nodded "Otogakure is going to attack during the final round at some point, I don't know when but here's some food pills, no more than three and I'm also going to pass out some to others as well" the rosette informed.

Pulling a mesh bag from her pouch and distributing three pills each to everyone around her "Then we'll be sure to fight alongside you Leaf guys, seeing as we're allies" the redhead grinned, gold eyes glittering dangerously.

Even Omoi had to agree "Yeah it would be considered doing our part to contribute to the alliance between Leaf and Cloud" the ivory haired teen shrugged, accepting the food pills and storing them in his own pouch.

Naruto sighed however "Why does Team Seven have to be cursed" the blonde grumbled as he finished eating breakfast, prompting a wince from Sakura and then they were headed out the door to the arena designated for the final round.

Upon arrival they already found the Suna Genin along with Shikamaru, many others still absent though when Sakura stood next to Temari the blonde leaned down and on her way back up she dropped something on Sakura's foot.

Sakura shot the older kunoichi an unimpressed look before expertly snagging the note without looking the least bit suspicious, those lessons in balance from Sasori having helped her greatly and then she unfolded the note to read it nonchalantly.

 _~Kankuro told me we can trust you, so during our fight make it look real, also we found out which match Orochimaru's planning on attacking, Gaara's going to forfeit partway through his match with Uchiha, just be ready, we are.~_

She had to give it to Temari for finding out even more information as she oh so casually passed the note to Naruto who passed it to Karui and Omoi, all three of whom nodded seriously in response as the note was crumpled and shoved in Omoi's pouch.

During all this Shikamaru had been watching with a raised eyebrow that Sakura ignored as more contestants showed up, Neji, Shino, and Dosu to her disgust that just left Sasuke who she realized was going to be late.

Way late to her irritation as Genma showed up "Quit your fidgeting, now stand up straight and present yourselves proudly to the spectators, you are the heroes of this final competition" Genma commanded in his oh so smooth tone.

Naruto and Sakura didn't have to be told twice as they both straightened and held their heads up high, hands neatly behind their backs as the crowds erupted in cheers and applause, Shikamaru on the other hand seemed to droop even more in apparent exhaustion.

Karui and Omoi shared grim looks with one another but stood a little straighter while Dosu simply glared, leaving Shino, Gaara, Temari, Neji and Kankuro all of whom looked indifferent and totally uncaring of all the eyes now firmly situated upon their persons.

"Good, now for the first match Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga, you two stay everyone else can go to the waiting area" the special Jonin ordered, prompting everyone to turn and head for the stands but before Sakura could scurry ahead of the others.

Shikamaru skillfully snagged her wrist "Just wait a moment Sakura" Shikamaru said, holding her back while the others disappeared from sight, Sakura raised a single fuscia brow at the Nara Heir and leveled him her most unimpressed look.

"Care to tell me what this is about" Sakura tapped her foot impatiently, Naruto would never forget her if she missed his match against Neji, because he was undoubtedly going to win, Neji would never see it coming.

Knowing it wasn't wise to mess with this particular person Shikamaru's expression became a little more serious "I want to know what the hell you were passing off to Naruto and those Cloud Shinobi from that troublesome woman from Sand" the Nara Heir demanded.

It startled her a little bit before Sakura sighed "Fine, Otogakure is going to attack us during Sasuke's match, Suna was part of the Coup originally but they've changed their mind, their on our side now" the pinkette explained warily.

"Thank you that's all I wanted" he released her wrist almost immediately and trudged up the steps, leaving her to follow until they emerged at the top where everyone else already was, Naruto and Neji's match had started it seemed but it didn't look like she'd missed much.

Unfortunately though Shino appeared to desire some answers due to some rumors he'd heard via his sensei, as he was next to approach "Sakura there is something I wish to ask, why because it's important" Shino intoned quietly.

Her eye twitched "Okay, but wait until Naruto's match is over" Sakura sighed softly and Shino nodded his head in acknowledgement, with that she refocused her complete attention on Naruto who was overcoming Neji little by little.

Neji probably had no idea how he was losing until he'd actually lost against Naruto, who burst up out of the ground and nailed him right in the chin, knocking him out and she couldn't help but wince a little.

Even while she was inwardly thinking maybe Neji would finally change his views and stop being a royal pain in the ass, then she was paying attention again as Genma looked between the two contestants "Winner Naruto Uzumaki" Genma declared, seeing Neji was unconscious.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, many having been skeptical of Naruto until that moment but now he would be acknowledged, just the start of the long road ahead of him if he ever wanted to accomplish his dream that was and then Shikamaru and Dosu's names were called.

Shikamaru let out a sigh but trudged down the steps, Dosu on his heels, Sakura waited a couple of minutes before heading down the stairs herself, Shino following her discreetly "Ask your question Shino" the fuscia haired teen crossed her arms.

Wanting to get this over and done with "Whose side are you on, Leafs or are you a traitor like my sensei thinks you are, why because of who you were trained by" the Aburame Heir questioned waiting for the blow up.

But Sakura stared at him in confusion "Hold on why would your sensei think I was a traitor and how would they know who I was trained by" Sakura furrowed her brow, not understanding why everyone seemed to think Sasori was some kind of bad guy.

"The person who taught you during the academy was a rogue, a traitor from Suna, here you can see for yourself, his name is in the bingo book after all as an S Class criminal" Shino tossed her the book in question.

And she flipped it open until she found Sasori's profile along with what organization he was allied with and her heart stopped dead in her chest for a couple of seconds "I'm a Leaf Ninja, I'll always be a Leaf Ninja Shino" the rosette snapped the book shut, eyes and face devoid of any emotion.

Like that she stalked past the Aburame after handing the bingo book back to him and up the stairs and Shino knew he shouldn't have done that "Hey Shino what are you down here for it's not your turn yet is it" Naruto popped up behind him suddenly.

Returning from having his chakra unblocked by the medics on staff for the Chunin Exams "Naruto, about Sasori Akasuna what do you know about him" the Aburame heir questioned, a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Huh you know about Sasori-sensei but how, never-mind and he was amazing, he taught me, Sakura-chan and Sasuke a lot, he was firm, strict, yet kind at the same time if that makes sense" the blonde ticked off his fingers.

That feeling in the pit of Shino's stomach deepened as he realized that none of Team Seven had known what their pre-genin sensei was until he went and did this "I see" Shino grimaced behind his coat collar, starting up the stairs.

Naruto blinked then shrugged and hurried up the steps himself, smiling when he saw Sakura standing in between Karui and Omoi, only to frown when she turned and he couldn't see any hint of emotion on her face or in her eyes at all.

"Everything okay Sakura-chan" Naruto asked squeezing in next to his teammate Karui scooting over a bit to let him in, Shino visibly flinched in response while Sakura gave him a flat smile then turned back to watch Shikamaru vs Dosu.

In the end Shikamaru won of course even if he wanted to forfeit he couldn't let his opponent stay conscious for the Coup his village was plotting, Genma made sure his opponent was out then called it "Winner Shikamaru Nara" the brunet announced.

Shikamaru happily trudged from the field as the next two names were called "Uh I forfeit is that alright" Kankuro grimaced wanting to conserve his chakra for the fight against Otogakure, plus he didn't want to give away all his secrets and fighting techniques.

Genma set his sights on the two kunoichi "Sakura Haruno, Temari Sabaku unless either one of you want to forfeit" Genma called looking at the kunoichi in the stands but they shook their head and appeared in the arena.

Sakura in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms and Temari floated down on her fan "Shino what the hell did you do to Sakura-chan, I know you were talking to her before so what did you say to her" Naruto demanded.

Lips pulled into a scowl but Shino remained silent and he tsked in annoyance then focused his attention on the two below "Let the fourth match begin" the special Jonin brought his arm down starting the match.

Temari whipped open her fan while Sakura started speeding through hand signs, four walls made of earth rising around her just as Temari's jutsu reached her, demolishing the walls, a second later Sakura burst from the rubble and charged head first.

Up in the stand Naruto clenched his hand around the railing as Sakura then twisted narrowly out of the way of the second futon jutsu, before Temari found herself unable to move, courtesy the hands that came up out of the ground beneath her feet and held her in place.

Leaving Sakura to get in the blondes personal space and snatch her fan "Now the battle will truly begin" Sakura murmured grimly as she tossed the weapon away from her and it embedded in the lone tree.

Temari grit her teeth "Don't think you've won Haruno I still have a few tricks up my sleeve" the blonde glowered not liking how easy it had been for the other kunoichi to throw her weapon like it was nothing more than a shuriken.

Sakura said nothing and aimed a punch at her mid section "Damn" Temari hissed barely dodging what she was sure would have been a debilitating attack, Sakura wasn't finished though as she leaped back flying through another set of hand signs.

"Suiton: Rising Water Cutter" the rosette breathed the minute her feet touched the ground and then she aimed the particularly powerful jutsu at her opponent and Temari was sent flying backwards to hit the ground.

Naruto paled and shot a glare at Shino because he knew the Aburame had something to do with Sakura's current state of mind "Fuck, you know when I said make it real I didn't think you would…holy kami" the blonde kunoichi winced.

Only to backtrack as Sakura came after her again and the ground shattered beneath the younger kunoichi's fist "Doton: Earth Spike Wave" followed by using the rubble that was now raining down on them as a deadly jutsu.

And Temari thanked her lucky stars that the other girl wasn't trying to seriously kill her as she merely acquired a few scrapes before managing to get out of range, Sakura didn't allow her to get to far though.

Considering she was once again charging dead ahead, completely focused as yet another crater was made in the arena and all those watching were reminded of Tsunade prompting a shudder to run down their spines en-masse.

Temari was not happy with her current situation as she realized what Sakura was doing, keeping her from making a move to retrieve her fan "Tch your nothing like that other girl, during the preliminary rounds" Temari scowled.

Peridot orbs glittered for a second along with a small quirk of the lips "Of course not Temari-chan" Sakura intoned flatly, deciding she'd played around long enough as she grabbed her hairpin from her hair and tossed it.

Her opponent wasn't to impressed "I'm so scared" the blonde mocked as the hairpin embedded itself in the ground before her, Sakura smiled flatly then made a hand sign and Temari realized in that exact moment that perhaps mocking the younger girl hadn't been her wisest idea.

Seeing as she found herself in a genjutsu, the hell viewing jutsu to be precise, it was very strong, so by the time she managed to break out of it there was a purple smoke in the air "You'll wake up in a couple minutes" the pinkette mouthed as she lost consciousness.

Followed by utter silence, Genma looked at Sakura, then to Temari before nodding decisively "Winner Sakura Haruno" Genma finally announced and cheers erupted from the crowd just as Temari regained consciousness.

With a groan the blonde sat up as Sakura retrieved her hairpin "Ugh remind me never to get on your bad side" Temari grimaced as she stood as a medic arrived to lead her to where the treatment room was after getting her fan back.

"Good to know" Sakura said in that same flat tone she'd been using during the entirety of their match then she disappeared in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms back up to the waiting area, Naruto met her with a nervous smile.

And got an extremely small one in response before she went back to being utterly expressionless then just as Karui and Omoi's names were being called a flurry of leaves picked up in the center of the arena signaling the arrival of Sasuke at long last.

Kakashi to as the duo were stood back to back, who promptly disappeared in a plume of smoke as Sasuke made his way to the waiting area, Karui and Omoi shared decisive nods with one another and began their walk down the steps.

Passing Sasuke as they went and handing off the note he read it then in a puff of smoke the note was burnt to a crisp then he was stood with his teammates "So did you win your matches" Sasuke asked not noticing anything out of the ordinary yet.

"Course I did Teme, had to punt Hyuga on his ass after all for all the things he's said to Sakura-chan and done to Hinata" Naruto scoffed, eyeing Sakura warily who was watching Karui and Omoi's match.

Until she nodded in confirmation "Okay whats going on, why is she like that" the Uchiha hissed wondering who the hell had upset Sakura to the point where she was actively hiding how she felt, he couldn't even seen a speck of emotion on her face or in her eyes.

Naruto scowled at Shino in answer "Dunno Sasuke but Shino knows and he won't tell me, nor will Sakura-chan" the blonde looked as if he'd eaten something sour because having this kind of Sakura on their hands was not a good thing she was to calculated.

Sasuke echoed Naruto's scowl with one of his own and decided that later on he would make Shino talk if he had to but for now it was better to focus on the then and there, eventually Karui and Omoi conceded defeat against each other to evenly matched.

So neither one advanced to the second round of matches which meant it was now his turn, Gaara didn't even bother heading down the stairs merely used the body flicker to get down into the arena quicker so Sasuke shrugged and decided to do the same thing.

Genma stared between the two boys "Let the fight begin" the special Jonin brought his arm down starting the match up in the stand Sakura inched over to Shikamaru and gave him some food pills, preparing for the attack.

And though she was upset with Shino, he also got some to just in case, Kankuro did as well, along with six extra to share with his siblings if they needed them "May I ask you something Sakura" the brunet asked when she remained in the near vicinity of him.

"If you want Kankuro" the pinkette nodded shortly, trying to hide the hurt she felt inside, though she was equally as confused, if Sasori was such an S Class criminal why had he come and told her she would be strong, followed by training her and raising her to protect what she cared up.

Kankuro was silent for a moment "How come you three pretended to be ignorant back when we first met, considering what I know now its just strange if you know what I mean" Kankuro frowned not understanding why.

Prompting a sigh from the younger genin "We wanted to be underestimated" Sakura said, tensing as the fight between Gaara and Sasuke escalated, then the moment they were all waiting for Gaara raised his hand to everyone's confusion.

And his voice came out loud and clear "I, Gaara Sabaku forfeit this match to Sasuke Uchiha, he has proven to strong for me, therefor I concede defeat gracefully" Gaara declared, preparing himself as a scream of fury erupted from one of the stands.

This was followed by Otogakure shinobi pouring into the arena en-masse along with white feathers floating down which Sakura recognized as a genjutsu to put the crowd to sleep so she quickly sped through the hand signs to disrupt her chakra.

Disrupting others chakra as she went as she spotted a group of Sound ninja heading out into the village, in a plume of smoke there were three clones of herself heading after them, she also unsealed her latest creation to Kankuro's surprise.

Jumping into the fray by making a hand sign, Otogakure ninja went down courtesy the barrage of senbon that shot out of the puppet like quills from a porcupine, seeing as the puppet was designed like a porcupine anyway, the throwing needles having been dipped in a sedative that would keep them out for a few hours.

Seconds later she was joined by Naruto who made a standard hand sign "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu" the blonde called creating a literal army of clones, probably over a hundred that were sent out to protect and defend civilians all while escorting them to shelters.

Upon seeing that his teammates were together Sasuke hurried over, punching out a Oto-nin who was trying to sneak up on Naruto, "Right what's the plan" Sasuke asked as the three of them stood back to back with one another.

"Keep them from causing to much havoc or damage really that's all we can do actually" Sakura intoned flatly, so they commenced with the fighting, staying in the arena to prevent the spectators from being killed.

Completely unknown to them Kabuto hid in the shadows ever watching and patiently waiting for a single chance to take his prize, Orochimaru had promised him he could have her after all and he wasn't going to leave without her.

Sakura hissed furiously under her breath as she spotted Ino being surrounded by a bunch of enemy ninja "Go help by waking people up from the genjutsu, chunin to jonin Sasuke, Naruto with me to save Ino" the rosette ordered.

Grabbing Naruto by the hand "Understood Sakura" the current Uchiha heir saluted, dispersing in a flurry of leaves while Sakura and Naruto headed up into the stands and Ino was never more grateful to see them as the one harassing her was kicked.

Quite brutally at that and she was sure she was going to have nightmares from the crunch of his spine breaking in her ears but she was happy nonetheless to see her friends "I don't know where Kiba or Hinata are, Shikamaru's pretending and Choji's cowering under that" Ino rambled.

And her best friends pursed their lips "Leave Hinata and Kiba to me, Ino-chan you….what the hell is that" Naruto began heading to where he felt the duo's chakra, only to be distracted as something purple rose over the booth where their Hokage was seated, alongside the Raikage and Kazekage.

"Barrier Naruto, Lee-san can you help to protect Ino-chan, Choji-san, Kiba and Hinata-chan and Shikamaru if you don't wake your lazy ass up" Sakura asked getting a nod from the weird kid in green spandex before turning her attention on the faker.

Who sat up less than a second at her empty threat "You always know when I'm faking sleeping but fine I'll do my part" Shikamaru groaned, just as Naruto returned with Kiba and Hinata who had been unconscious.

Naruto exhaled "Okay now what Sakura-chan" the Uzumaki inquired, seeing that most of the fighting was being taken care of by the Jonin with a few Chunin interspersed here and there, just his luck though that Sakura would set her sights on the barrier.

As she unsealed her metal bow and a few arrows "If enough force is used I bet we could break the barrier" the pinkette said, taking aim as they got up on top of the stands, followed by channeling chakra into her bow and arrow.

She breathed in and then loosed her arrow, it shot through the sky, hitting the four corner sealing barrier with enough strength to put a dent in the damn thing, her eyebrow twitched so she grabbed another arrow from the quiver.

Channeling more chakra into it this time, this created a tiny crack as she managed to hit the same spot as before and the third arrow did it's job by shattering the barrier but that's where good things ended as she was taking aim at the second barrier.

A dull thud reached her ears and she looked down to see Naruto unconscious before she could see who the attacker was or even defend herself she was chopped on the back of the neck so by the time Sasuke came to find his teammates Naruto was waking up.

"Ugh what the hell who hit me" Naruto groaned rubbing the back of his neck while simultaneously healing it, Sasuke jumped down in front of him and they both looked around in confusion.

Dread pooled in their stomachs "Dobe where's Sakura" Sasuke inquired, not sensing his female teammate, before Naruto could answer a glint of metal caught his eye and he wandered over to it to find Sakura's prized bow.

The sick feeling increased "I don't know someone hit me from behind and I lost consciousness before I could see who" the blonde admitted, growing paler by the second, even if the fighting was dying down.

He looked to see that the barrier was down around the Kage Booth just as they were joined by Baki and his students "Where's Sakura" the brunet questioned looking around in equal confusion and the boys glared at the roof they were stood on.

"We don't know, by the time I got here she was already gone and Naruto was unconscious" the current Uchiha heir scowled, sharingan activated to see if he could find a hint of Sakura's chakra in order to follow it.

But the chakra he saw made his blood freeze "This is bad" Sasuke felt sicker than ever before as he recognized the secondary chakra via his sharingan and he knew he had to get to Kakashi who was on the roof with the Hokage, Raikage and Kazekage.

It was who else that was stood there that made him speed up "SASORI-SENSEI" Naruto shouted the man's name upon seeing a splotch of red stood next to the Hokage, Kazekage glaring at the man but Sasori tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"Kabuto took Sakura" Sasuke informed hastily making the Kazekage and all around them pause as Sasori turned to face two of his students, face thunderous, then he looked to Hiruzen who nodded shortly before the redhead was simply gone.

The Kazekage snarled furiously "HOW COULD YOU ALLOW A KNOWN CRIMINAL TO ENTER YOUR VILLAGE" the man raged at the Hokage, shocking Naruto and Sasuke who obviously hadn't known in the least.

But the Hokage was having none of it "Kazekage enough, Sasori came to us, to me and asked for protection in return for becoming a double agent, he has saved this village from danger and he has earned my explicit trust" Hiruzen stated.

Holding his stomach, Sasuke and Naruto saw this so stepped forward hands glowing green with medical chakra "And what you didn't think that I wouldn't like to know where one of the rogues of my village was so that I could keep tabs on him" the Kazekage spat.

Chakra fluctuating dangerously "That would have just drawn unnecessary attention to Sasori" the Hokage informed, grateful of the two boys "By the way just who do you think it was that informed us of the coup" the wizened old man said.

And Baki interjected himself "A young boy actually, he had purple hair and orange eyes, he gave us a message that told us that Orochimaru was planning to kill Kazekage-sama to impersonate him" Baki announced.

Naruto and Sasuke shared amused looks "Yeah that was Sakura in her alter ego form, who probably got a letter from Akasuna-sensei to tell you what that Sannin was plotting" the Uchiha snorted letting the medical chakra fade from his hands.

Seeing as there wasn't much more he could do "Outsmarted by a little girl how humiliating" the turban wearing Suna Jonin groaned looking as if he had a headache it was something they often dealt with when it came to Sakura.

"By the way how long has Sakura had a disguise" Kakashi grumbled wondering how he had missed that while Minato chuckled lightly, knowing the situation was serious, Sakura had been taken after all.

With that in mind he glanced to Hiruzen who tilted his head in answer and he to was gone inwardly cursing himself for not having marked the girl with his seal "For awhile now Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke and I have disguises to" the Uzumaki answered with an innocent smile.

Kakashi glowered at them in response while Ay threw his head back with a laugh "Gutsy little brats aint'cha, Darui, Cee go assist in the retrieval of the pink haired brat" Ay barked having a soft spot for the kids.

Both of his subordinates were gone in matching plumes of smoke leaving them to start the cleanup though Kakashi itched to run off and rescue his student he knew having to many people would interfere with whatever plan they came up with.

In the meantime Sasori had made great headway after honing in on his former subordinates chakra, Yakushi would pay for touching Sakura, soon enough he was joined by two blondes and a dark skinned shinobi "We were sent to help" the onyx eyed blonde said.

Not wanting to leave Sakura in the hands of the enemy for to long who knows what they would do to her "I came on my own because Naruto would never forgive me if I let something happen to Sakura" the blue eyed blonde announced.

"So what's the plan Akasuna, Yakushi has been a thorn in the Kid's side for a long time" the ivory haired Jonin inquired, muscles bunched up in anticipation, Sasori exhaled softly grateful for the backup from both the Hokage and Raikage surprisingly.

Then he nodded "Kabuto is no push over it won't be easy but if we can get him to hold still long enough for me to get my chakra strings attached to him we can get Sakura which means someones going to have to act as a distraction" Sasori explained.

Expression furious, he was more enraged than they expected him to be "Leave being the distraction to me, Cee-san you should probably remain hidden, you're a medic and we don't need you being taken out understand" Minato looked to the other blonde.

Formulating a plan as they went, slowly gaining on Kabuto who had Sakura "Very well" Cee nodded knowing the former Hokage was right, Sasori forced himself to calm down a little being angry wouldn't help Sakura after all.

As they got ever closer Cee suppressed his chakra and began lagging behind the others to play his part in the rescue plan and then they were practically right on top of Kabuto who spun around looking irritated that he'd been caught up to.

"Return the Kid peacefully Yakushi or we'll take her back by force" Darui demanded unhooking his folding cleaver blade from his back, eyeing Sakura who was still unconscious, then he saw the tear in Kabuto's shirt and blood.

Which indicated that Sakura had been awake and had tried to fight but couldn't get away in time before she was once again knocked out, Kabuto snarled "By right she is mine, Orochimaru-sama said so" Kabuto snapped.

Unwilling to part with his reward "SAKURA IS NOT A POSSESSION" Sasori roared before managing to reign in his anger once again though it was clear to the others he was a second away from exploding again.

Kabuto's eyes widened as he recognized Sasori as his former master "So you were the one she called sensei huh Sasori-sama" Kabuto scowled clutching Sakura tighter against his chest causing her face to scrunch up in pain.

Sasori felt his blood boiling "Either you give her back willingly or you die" the redhead said eerily calm all of a sudden, readying himself for a fight, it wouldn't be pretty, it would be brutal but damned if he left his student in Kabuto's clutches.

Minato tensed in response as did Darui, Kabuto seemed to realize they were gearing up to face him, turned tail and ran but he didn't get very far as he had to duck under a three pronged kunai and the former Hokage was stood in front of him a second later.

"I don't think so, my son would never forgive me if I let you take her" the Fourth Hokage shook his head holding up another kunai before lunging, Kabuto dodged and tried to run in the other direction, grip tightening on Sakura because he refused to give her up.

Again he didn't get very far as the dark skinned shinobi swung his cleaver blade at him stopping him in his tracks "Kid isn't going anywhere with you so stop delaying the inevitable Yakushi" the ivory haired shinobi informed.

Doing his best along with Minato to get the man in a suitable position for Sasori to attach the chakra strings to Kabuto who wasn't making it easy on them until a flash of light blinded them and Kabuto was stood frozen in a daze.

"Knew if I waited to cast that genjutsu things would help" the onyx eyed blonde appeared as he reached Sakura first, snagging her from Kabuto as gently as he could manage and getting back in time as Kabuto snapped out of the illusion.

Only to become enraged as he realized Sakura was no longer in his clutches, and knowing there was no way he was going to get her back being outmatched four to one he turned tail and ran managing to get away this time, seeing as the others were more focused on Sakura.

Who didn't wake up even when Cee healed her "We should get her back to the village and the hospital" Darui grimaced, attaching his blade to his back again, Sasori looked like he wanted to go after the bastard but instead before Cee could lift her.

He gently gathered Sakura into his arms "It's okay Sakura I've got you brat and you'll never be in danger again like this I swear it" Sasori vowed solemnly hating how he'd gotten attached then with him in the lead they began their trek back to the village.

"Akasuna we can get back to the village quicker if you'd like" Minato informed all prepared to use his flying thunder god seal so that Sakura could be treated for whatever else Kabuto had done to her.

For a moment it didn't look like Sasori had even heard him until the man nodded "Good" Cee breathed eager to get Sakura to the hospital and a moment later they were stood outside said building and Sasori headed in alone and soon Sakura was taken away and put in a room.

And as much as he wanted to stay with her he knew he couldn't because there were things he had to do so he made his way to the Hokage Tower where Hiruzen, Rasa and Ay had gathered "Sasori-kun is Sakura…" Hiruzen trailed off uncertainly.

"Unconscious, the medics are taking care of her now" the redhead grunted, lowering himself into the unclaimed chair like he use to all the time but it felt like years instead of months had passed since that time.

The Hokage sighed quietly in relief at that "Now what to do with you Akasuna" Rasa immediately turned his attention on the s class criminal from his village and was surprised when Sasori raised his head to glare at him.

"I'm staying here Kazekage-sama with my students, you can't touch me here so long as I don't leave the village again" Sasori informed, he refused to leave again, he'd already left Akatsuki after all and Leaf needed him more anyway.

Rasa spluttered "You mean Uchiha, Uzumaki and Pink brat, heh care for them do you" Ay snorted cutting the Kazekage off before he could demand the older man to go back to Suna and pay for his countless crimes against the village.

"Of course I fucking care Raikage, those three little brats are….their important to me" the crimson haired former double agent scowled, before his expression softened as he talked about his students and their importance to him.

Hiruzen could have guessed considering how reluctant Sasori had been to leave in the first place "What will you do about Akatsuki, surely they'll question your absence" the Hokage blew out a puff of smoke.

Sasori scoffed "Already dealt with I staged my betrayal that way brat Uchiha's brother isn't put under suspicion of being a double agent himself, plus he has Hoshigaki on his side, your side anyway, as proof my ring" Sasori announced.

Placing something on the Hokage's desk, his Akatsuki ring with the symbol for jewel "You betrayed Akatsuki for a bunch of children" the Kazekage seemed to realize the significance of the moment and why it was even happening.

In response Sasori rolled his eyes "Children who will go on to be great take Sakura for instance she has the chakra control to someday surpass Tsunade Senju the Legendary Medical Ninja herself, Naruto he will be Hokage I know it and Sasuke well he'll lead his clan into a new era" the redhead snorted.

Hiruzen chuckled "Speaking of Tsunade-chan I plan to send Naruto-kun with Jiraiya after her to bring her back to be the Fifth Hokage, she might be needed if Sakura doesn't wake up as well" Hiruzen frowned a second later.

Worried over the young girl "I only came to tell you this but I'm going back to be with my student" Sasori stood a moment later having done what he came there to do and in a swirl of sand was gone to sit with Sakura who was still unconscious, medics unable to find out the cause for it.

"My men and I will stay for a week or two in order to help with the reconstruction of your village Hokage" Ay was the next to leave, making his way to the Uchiha Compound not considering anywhere else as a possible place to stay, Rasa was the last to leave.

During this time Minato, Darui and Cee had returned to a somber house that was until Naruto caught sight of his Father "Dad you got Sakura-chan back right….right" Naruto jumped up only to realize Sakura wasn't with him.

But his Dad did nod "Yes Naruto-kun but she won't wake up so Akasuna-san took her to the hospital" Minato explained, taking a seat on the couch next to his son who slumped onto the furniture looking more depressed than ever.

"How come she wouldn't wake up Cee" Sasuke glanced to the only other medic in the house besides himself and Naruto a lot of good it did them now though if Cee couldn't properly heal Sakura what chance did he or Naruto have.

The man grimaced "At some point she must have fought Yakushi and he might have damaged something that's beyond my healing capabilities Sasuke-san" Cee admitted knowing better than to hide the truth Sasuke would find out anyway somehow.

Sasuke sighed then trudged off to inform his parents of the situation "Boys really do care for her don't they" Darui winced in sympathy, taking a chair for himself, the one Sakura usually sat in if he wasn't wrong.

Across from him Kakashi nodded "When I first met them Sasuke and Naruto were very protective of Sakura-chan, kept directing me from asking her questions about her parents, wouldn't do anything without her approval first" the Copy Ninja announced.

Wanting to go check on Sakura but he was unsure how his presence would be taken by Sasori in the hospital room "You think she'll be okay" Karui asked, wanting Sakura to be alright considering the blooming friendship between them.

"But wait what if there are no medics competent enough and she never wakes up" Omoi piped in with one of his fears, Sakura had welcomed them with open arms, Naruto cringed in response and got a glare from Karui.

Before Samui scuffed the boy over the back of the head "That's enough of your over-worrying Omoi, there is a competent medic she'll just have to be brought back to the village" Samui informed thinking of the Sannin the Legendary Medical Ninja Tsunade Senju.

"Correct Samui, I don't know when but Hokage intends to send someone out to bring Tsunade back if anyone can get the pink brat up and running it's that woman" Ay announced his arrival by responding to Samui, behind him was Sasuke and Ino.

Who marched forward and took a seat next to Naruto looking like she was trying to be brave and not cry all at the same time "She'll be fine Sakura-chan's strong after all" Ino intoned seriously grabbing the younger blondes hand to hold and ground herself and Naruto relaxed a little.

Meanwhile at the hospital Sasori had situated himself firmly at Sakura's side and refused adamantly to move even when ordered by medics to do so "Not a chance" Sasori shook his head as they threatened to ban him from the room.

"At least let us change her Akasuna-san, surely you don't want to see Haruno-san in an undressed state" the medic finally snapped, eager to get the man out of the room so the girl could be changed into one of the scratchy hospital gowns.

Sasori scowled but marched from the room temporarily and was back ten minutes later to Sakura changed into the gown complete with an iv drip "Don't ask me to leave again" the redhead commented sitting his behind down in the lone chair again intent clear.

And that's where he stayed for the entire night as medics came and went checking on their patient to see if there had been any change not that there was considering how closely he was watching and soon it was morning.

Just as he was contemplating leaving to see his other students for a short time a knock came on the hospital room door "Ah Akasuna I'm here to see Sakura-chan, has there been any change in her condition" the Copy Ninja popped his head through the door.

"No but come on in, I was about to go see Naruto and Sasuke make sure they weren't behaving in any unseemly way" Sasori snorted knowing that the boys wouldn't do that while Sakura was in such critical condition.

Kakashi chuckled lightly "Uchiha Compound, I believe their waiting for you" Kakashi explained taking the only just vacated seat to watch after Sakura for a bit while Sasori disappeared to see the boys he had taught.

Sasuke spotted him first "Bout time Akasuna, Dobe has been driving everyone crazy" the current Uchiha Heir intoned exasperatedly, getting an offended hey from Naruto who threw a sandal in response only for it be dodged.

"Am not Teme and if anyone is driving people crazy its Shisui-san" the blonde sniffed delicately, Sasuke nodded in agreement shooting a glare at his annoying older cousin who sulked at being ganged up on by the two almost teenage boys.

Sasori rolled his hazel eyes and tapped his foot impatiently until both Naruto and Sasuke were giving him their undivided attention "Naruto, Sasuke know that I am proud of you both and that I can't express my apologies enough in leaving like I did" the crimson haired rogue said.

Minato was surprised when Naruto scowled "Course not Sasori-sensei, Sakura-chan was crushed and she's never been the same, of course she wasn't the same after her parents were taken but your leaving really messed with her" Naruto snapped harshly.

"That's right it was only just recently that she started admitting to people that she missed you, wouldn't even so much as say your name without crying and you have the nerve to come back" Sasuke was also not happy with his pre-genin sensei.

And he should have guessed the brats would act like this but Naruto wasn't finished "Lets not forget that you're a criminal Sasori-sensei do you have any idea what finding that out would do to Sakura-chan's mental and emotional state" the blonde drove the knife in deeper earning a wince.

Sasuke just had to go and make it worse "Yeah for all we know it could have been your fault that Sakura's parents were targeted and taken in the first place" the Uchiha glared, complete with sharingan activated in his anger.

Sasori flinched in response "Well you might not be wrong Sasuke I could be my fault in fact I've always believed it was my fault and I know Naruto but even if Sakura and you two hate me, I'm here to stay for good this time" the redhead grimaced.

Inwardly proud of how grown up the brats had become in his absence even if he'd missed it "I think your going to have to start worrying about that whenever she wakes up Akasuna, Sakura-san already knows about your status as an international criminal" Asuma showed up a second later.

Bursting their bubbles and Sasori spluttered "Who the fuck told her" Sasori snapped, utterly irritated and now all he wanted to do was get back to Sakura and never leave her side again, every time he did it ended in catastrophe.

Asuma grimaced "One of the Jonin sensei's told their students, one of whom told Sakura-san" the raven haired Jonin informed, Naruto frowned and then it was like a light bulb clicked on overheard.

"It was Shino wasn't it, I caught him talking to her after my match and Sakura-chan was very scary afterwards even during her match" Naruto looked the older man dead in the eye earning a nod from Asuma.

"Joy" Sasuke groaned flopping down in his preferred chair, things would be like hell whenever Sakura woke up he was certain of that with that Sasori decided to return to the hospital and there he stayed even when Jiraiya and Naruto were sent out to bring back Tsunade.

Even when Kakashi and Sasuke joined Sakura in the hospital because of Itachi, and Sasuke had went off half-cocked, one thing was for certain though no matter what he wasn't ever leaving Sakura's side again.


	23. Chapter 22

In Sasori's mind waiting around and doing nothing while two of his students and their sensei was stuck in the hospital two of the aforementioned unconscious and the last off to bring back Tsunade Senju did nothing for his usual temperament.

And it also didn't help that he was dreading the moment Sakura woke up and realized he was there considering she knew what he formerly was and because he'd abandoned her, Sasori sighed in frustration hating that he couldn't do anything.

"Patience not your strong suit I take it" Kakashi chuckled from across the room seeing as he and Sasuke had gotten in the same hospital room as Sakura and by extension Sasori who had barely moved since he'd sat down three weeks ago.

His lip curled in response "No, never has been, I'm a very impatient man I hate to be kept waiting and I hate to keep others waiting at the same time, makes me wonder how I ever remained even tempered while teaching them" Sasori hissed quietly.

Kakashi grimaced in response "They didn't make it easy for me that's for sure, little brats actually tricked me into thinking they didn't know teamwork" the Copy Ninja scowled in remembrance, it was probably his most humiliating moment actually.

Sasori snorted "Probably my influence, sorry about that" the redhead apologized in an off-handed tone then refocused his attention on Sakura who like three weeks before hand, hadn't had any changes in her condition and so he went right back to sighing in utter frustration.

Just as Kakashi was contemplating, attempting to continue the conversation so he didn't have to sit in silence Sasuke came awake from his two week coma with a groan, "Sakura's going to kill me" Sasuke groaned.

"That'll be the least of your worries Sasuke, especially when your mother gets her hands on you for you're stupid reckless stunt" Sasori snapped harshly making Sasuke flinch as he realized how idiotic it had been of him to run off like that.

Off to the side of him was his genin sensei who nodded unsympathetically "And when we're out of the hospital expect D Ranks as punishment" Kakashi informed, glad that Sasori was there to stick around otherwise he'd probably go insane dealing with his students.

Sasuke let his shoulders droop "I understand Akasuna-sensei, Kakashi-sensei" the current Uchiha heir intoned sadly, calling his two sensei by their proper title to make them understand he was serious about repenting for his actions.

"Good, just be lucky I don't have much say over what kind of punishment you'll be taking on because if it were me you would be doing something much worse than D ranks" the crimson haired rogue scowled.

And Kakashi raised a silver brow in response then shrugged "Perhaps we can come up with a suitable punishment together" the Copy Ninja suggested but Sasori shook his head and once again set his gaze on Sakura.

With that another three weeks passed them by "How is she Sasori-san" Mikoto dropped by the morning a month and a half had gone with Naruto and Jiraiya gone trying to find Tsunade and bring her back to be Hokage.

"No change whatsoever and I swear if I ever get my hands on Kabuto I'll kill him, Orochimaru to" Sasori informed stiffly, Mikoto winced in sympathy and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before going to visit with her youngest son.

Who looked more guilty as the days passed, there was no telling what Sasuke was thinking "Mother do you think she'll ever forgive me" Sasuke asked, not able to remain strong any longer as tears pricked at his eyes.

Mikoto felt her heart breaking "Sakura-chan will always forgive you Sasuke-chan, she always has now dry those eyes I brought your favorite tomato soup" the Uchiha Matriarch declared because she knew there was no way Sakura could hate her son in any capacity.

Sasuke sighed feeling lighter than he had in days "Thank you Mother" the ebony haired teen bowed his head in thanks, now thirteen like Sakura, and then he gratefully dug into the soup, making sure to drink every last drop so none of it was wasted.

A few minutes later Mikoto collected the empty bowl, nodded her head at Sasori and left, intent on heading home now that she'd conducted her visit with no results, Sakura was still unconscious which was very worrisome.

Then the day they were all awaiting for arrived, Jiraiya, Naruto with Tsunade in tow finally returned to the village after being absent for two whole months "Come on Granny Tsunade, Sakura-chan really needs you to heal her" Naruto urged the moment they were signed in.

Having thought of nothing else but getting Sakura the healer she needed with a few spare thoughts geared towards Sasuke the entire time he was gone on the mission "Alright just calm down brat I'll heal your little girlfriend" Tsunade scowled.

Letting herself be ushered down the streets of the Leaf Village to the hospital but Naruto had one thing to say "Sakura-chan's not my girlfriend she's like my sister" the blonde huffed unashamed to admit that much as they finally reached the building he was desperate to get to.

Tsunade let herself be pushed in and then rushed down to the room Sakura was still occupying "Dobe" Sasuke perked up when the door slid open to reveal his absentee teammate with a much older woman who could only be Tsunade.

Naruto waved but nudged the woman over to Sakura "Congratulations Naruto on a mission well accomplished" Sasori sidled up to the younger blonde, equally parts relieved and dreading the moment when Sakura woke up as Tsunade leaned over the girl.

Hands glowing a bright green as she placed them on Sakura's head, Naruto nodded silently in response "We saw Kabuto, he was there with that bastard Orochimaru, I wanted to take revenge for Sakura-chan but he nearly killed me if not for Granny Tsunade" the blonde said after moment.

When Tsunade straightened shooting him a glare for calling her a granny yet again after multiple attempts at getting him to stop "There I reversed the damage caused by Yakushi, give her an hour or so and she should be awake now I'm heading to the Tower and Uchiha your free to leave as well" Tsunade snapped.

Stalking from the hospital and Sasori promptly sat back down in the chair he'd occupied for two straight months "Right I'm going to go see my Dad" Naruto declared knowing that it would be better if it was just Sasori when Sakura woke up.

Considering Kakashi had been released already with that he was gone with Sasuke on his heels, leaving Sasori to sit there an extra hour until finally at long last Sakura opened her eyes, it was obvious she hadn't noticed him yet.

As she looked around slowly, probably trying to figure out where she was as her forehead creased then understanding dawned in her eyes before she finally caught sight of him and the anger he was expecting to see never came.

Instead those bright vibrant eyes of hers flooded with tears, her breathing picked up as her emotions bubbled over and he got to hear her voice for the first time in over nine months " _Sasori-sensei_ " Sakura croaked in a whisper.

"Hey brat" he whispered back a little choked up himself from damnable emotions, Sakura gave him a hesitant smile then tried to sit up only to be unable to do so, so he helped her and just as he was pulling away she threw her arms around his neck.

Crying harder now " _I missed you so much_ " the rosette sobbed quietly face buried in his shirt and he rubbed her back soothingly, whispering assurances that he would never again leave her because he was there to stay for good.

She pulled away a little at that looking him in the eyes to ascertain herself "Believe me, when have you known me to lie after all" Sasori snorted lightly swiping what suspiciously looked like a tear out of his eye.

Though he wanted to take that question back a second later when her expression turned " _Maybe when you said that you would never be back from your mission, or how about the fact you let me think you were some great man who could do no wrong_ " Sakura whispered angrily.

Voice cracking here and there from two months of disuse "Sakura I never claimed I could do no wrong and I'm sorry you found out about what I am the way you did" the redhead winced, apologizing even if it did little good.

Emerald eyes glared at him in response proving his point then to his surprise her glare softened " _Can you really promise me something like that Sasori-sensei"_ the pinkette asked switching her mood at the drop of a coin.

And he knew he had to answer honestly "No, my past has already caught up with me Sakura and I know I'll have to face it eventually" Sasori grimaced and she nodded in understanding, having grown much like her teammates.

" _Then face it until then I'm angry at you_ " Sakura whispered decisively not displaying outright hatred like he thought she would and then a medic shooed him out of the room so that she could be changed and when he peeked back in she was laying down asleep.

So he decided to go back to the house "Did Sakura wake up" Sasuke met him in the foyer of Team Seven's shared house, it was extremely amusing to him that somehow all three of them, plus their sensei and sensei's sensei were sharing a place together.

"Mm and while she's not absolutely furious with me, she's angry and I fear she wants me to go face my former village in order to gain her forgiveness" the crimson haired rogue cringed and he'd do it to which didn't say a lot for his willpower when it came to Sakura.

Sasuke shuddered "Just wait until she finds out what I did" the current Uchiha heir laughed, leading the way into the living room where everyone else was at that current moment in time though upon spotting him Kakashi stood but Sasori shook his head.

Kakashi sighed and sat back down "Fell back to sleep did she, did the medics say when she could leave or anything" Minato asked when instead of going back Sasori sat on the couch himself, the first he'd seen the man leave Sakura's side for any extended period of time since he'd arrived.

This time Sasori nodded but shook his head at the second part of the question "She'll probably have to do something to regain the muscle mass she's lost during her two month stay in the hospital" Naruto commented.

Plopping down next to Sasuke with a notebook and scribbling something in it before showing it to Sasuke who crinkled his nose, took the pencil, scratched out what had been written, scribbled something himself and handed it back.

"We're going to the market" both boys informed in perfect unrehearsed sync before disappearing in a swirl of leaves that faded once they were gone, twenty minutes Naruto and Sasuke were back but they headed into the kitchen.

Where they didn't come out until lunch "It's our turn to see Sakura, plus lunch is ready" Sasuke declared hoping that Sakura was awake and that the medics hadn't brought the afternoon meal yet as he and Naruto scurried off to the hospital.

It was their lucky day it seemed because the medics hadn't even made the rounds yet since lunch at the hospital was running a little behind "Leave giving Sakura-chan something to eat up to Sasuke and I seeing as we're also medics here" the blonde said.

Grinning as he realized he and Sasuke were finally having their chance to take care of Sakura who always took care of them "Alright then and if you could get her to take this medicine that will help her build up her immune system that would be great" the medic in charge of Sakura requested.

Sasuke took the bottle of pills "Right lets go" the ebony haired teen sighed leading the way to the room he'd occupied with Sakura and Kakashi up until two weeks ago, to their relief Sakura was awake and sitting up via a mountain of pillows to support her.

And her face lit up at the sight of them " _Naruto, Sasuke_ " Sakura whispered unable to speak louder than that currently since she hadn't spoken for two months, tears also happened to flood her eyes as they came forward.

Hugging her gently like she was something extremely fragile "Here Sakura-chan we brought you lunch, in fact me and Sasuke are going to be in charge of your meals from now until your released" Naruto informed.

Drying her eyes for her "Though we expect you to take your medicine as well" Sasuke said, holding up the pill bottle earning a scowl that was more a pout than anything really, making them both smile as Naruto unsealed the meal they'd made.

Sakura was in awe of it " _Did you really make this just for me Naruto, Sasuke_ " the fuscia haired teen asked voice cracking yet again but they got the gist of it even as more tears sprung into her already swollen eyes.

"Yep, yep just for you, you know" the blonde Uzumaki nodded pulling over the tray so that he could place the food down and Sakura was more than happy to dig in, while inwardly taking note of everything that had been made.

Which if she wasn't wrong was geared to helping her regain her muscle mass and build up her immune system "I'm sure you already know Sakura but that's to help build up your muscles since you haven't moved around for two months your muscles have deteriorated some" the Uchiha stated.

Putting a pill on the tray that she took grudgingly " _Mhm but still thanks_ " she whispered, making sure to eat every last bite because it had been made for her by her teammates one of whom who hated cooking with a passion.

Once the plate was clear and the glass of delicious tea was empty, medicine taken Sasuke held her as Naruto removed the pillows and helped her lay back down so she could rest some more and once she was sleeping hurried home.

When they came to visit with her dinner Ino was there along with Asuma "Oh hey guys I was just telling Sakura a funny story about a customer from the flower shop" Ino waved just glad that her best friend was even awake.

Because she'd really thought Sakura would never wake up _"Yeah it's hilarious I still can't believe he slipped in a puddle even though there was a sign that said the floor was wet and demanded you pay for a hospital visit only to find out he wasn't even hurt anywhere_ " Sakura giggled quietly.

Asuma chuckled in response "Still I'm glad your awake Sakura-san I know someone whose been mighty guilty that wants to apologize to you" Asuma ruffled her hair carefully not being rough because she had only just woken up that day.

Ino stood while Sakura creased her brow in confusion not understanding as she shot him a questioning look but Asuma shook his head ushering his student from the room leaving Sasuke and Naruto to give her, her dinner and make her take her medicine again, then help her lay down.

It was two days before she understood what Asuma meant as Kurenai poked her head into the room an hour before Sasuke and Naruto were due to arrive with her lunch "Hello Sakura-san" the ruby eyed woman greeted awkwardly.

Stepping determinedly into the room with Shino on her heels and her eyes widened in remembrance before narrowing "I've come to apologize, why because I did something I shouldn't have" Shino spoke hastily before she demanded he leave.

"Hmm that's right if I recall you called me a traitor" the pinkette hummed able to speak at a normal volume as her voice came back, Kurenai flinched in response because that was her fault essentially even when Sakura proved that she was no traitor, that honor went to Kabuto Yakushi.

Shino grimaced "And it became apparent to me after your reaction that you didn't know about your academy sensei so I'm sorry even though doing so won't make you forget who that man truly is" the Aburame Heir sighed.

Making Sakura nod "Your right Shino it won't make me forget, Sasori-sensei is a rogue and I didn't handle finding that out maturely, you and Kurenai-sensei were right to question my loyalty but the person I'm most angry at is him so your forgiven" Sakura intoned seriously.

Kurenai sighed in relief "Thank you Sakura-san" the raven haired woman bowed realizing her secret lover had been right, no matter what Sasori Akasuna was, he hadn't taught his students hatred of their village, he'd taught them how to protect it.

Seeing his sensei bow Shino saw fit to do the same until Sakura's teammates showed up with lunch "How come Shino was here" Naruto questioned still a bit miffed over the whole Chunin Exam debacle.

"Apologizing, him and Kurenai-sensei that is" Sakura answered feeling a little better but she was still angry with Sasori who had come to see her a couple times, he'd been thinking about what to do and said she would be the first to know his decision.

Naruto shrugged "Good, it was the least they could do for thinking we were traitors just cause Akasuna trained us" Sasuke scoffed, dressed in his hospital uniform since he was on call, Naruto as well and it made her happy strangely enough.

The fourth day after she'd woken up brought yet another unexpected visitor to her hospital room "Hayate-sensei" the rosette perked up when he poked his head through the open door to see if she was awake not having given her enough time to answer after he'd knocked.

A small smile curled his lips "Sakura-san I'd heard you were awake but wasn't able to visit until just now but I'm glad and here, keep it a secret from those teammates of yours alright" Hayate said producing a container of dango smothered in mitarashi sauce from behind his back.

Once he'd stepped fully into the girls hospital room, "Of course, cause those two have gone positively insane over making sure I'm eating the right kinds of foods and I haven't had a single sweet" Sakura scowled looking adorable in her irritation.

While happily chowing down on the dango, but she gave Hayate one because he was the one who'd been thoughtful enough to bring her some, her ranting made Hayate chuckle "Do you know when your being let out" the brunet special Jonin asked.

Taking a seat in the empty chair to eat the dango "Probably not for a few more days, they said that Tsunade-sama was gonna come take a look at me personally, I still can't believe Lord Third stepped down and that Tsunade-sama's Hokage now though" the pinkette frowned.

Not liking that she'd missed so much during her two month coma "Come to think of it they still haven't decided on if any of you were capable enough to become Chunin yet either" Hayate remembered suddenly.

And he knew who he'd nominate for the promotion if only he was a judge "Bummer it got interrupted" Sakura crinkled her nose, hating Orochimaru even more now just because of that, if he hadn't come the exam would have went off without a hitch.

Hayate nodded in understanding took the empty dango container when it was empty, waved and disappeared, Naruto and Sasuke none the wiser that Sakura had deviated from their prescribed daily nutritious meals.

Until finally a week had passed and Tsunade came to visit her again "Well the savior of the Chunin Exams I'm Tsunade your new Hokage" Tsunade greeted wanting to see how the girl reacted to the comment about her being a savior.

Immediately Sakura creased her brow "I don't know what your talking about Hokage-sama I didn't save anything let alone myself" the fuscia hared teen huffed, proving to have a temper to the woman's amusement.

"On the contrary, if it hadn't been for you shattering that barrier Sarutobi-sensei would be dead, the Kazekage as well, and Orochimaru wouldn't be down five subordinates" the honey eyed blonde admitted.

Sakura looked at her in surprise "But I only broke through one barrier" Sakura frowned in confusion and Tsunade let her expression soften a little, of course the girl would be confused, she'd been kidnapped against her will.

Which reminded her, she was going to have to get a report about that incident "Anyway I didn't come here just to yack now lets see if your able to go home yet" Tsunade said getting down to business as she checked the girl over.

Before grudgingly declaring the girl well enough "Just no strenuous exercises for another week and if you do want to exercise keep it to a limit of fifteen minutes so that you don't pull a muscle got it cause I don't want to see you back in here" the woman scowled.

"Roger that Hokage-sama" the pinkette nodded seriously watching as Tsunade stalked through the door leaving her to create a couple of clones to get dressed in her regular clothes glad to be rid of the scratchy hospital gown.

Then body flicker herself home being supported between her clones once she was there until she was stood in the living room of her shared house for the first time in what felt like forever "Sakura-chan" Kakashi jumped up at the sight of her as if he was on fire.

Just as she plopped down carefully in her usual chair "Hokage-sama gave me the okay Kakashi-sensei, I'm not like you who tries to escape from the hospital" Sakura snorted, in a mischievous sort of mood apparently.

Kakashi glared at her in exasperation while Minato chuckled and Sasori stared at Sakura like he'd never seen her before "Mouthy little brat aren't you, better hope your sensei doesn't retaliate in the form of D Ranks" Sasori warned.

"It's never worked, those brats have been mouthy since day one" the Copy Ninja huffed and Sakura smiled innocently in response, he knew better though she was a little demon, as were Naruto and Sasuke when they teamed up together against someone.

Reminding him of something as Sakura got back at him for his comment "Only cause you were late by three hours for the first month we were your genin Kakashi-sensei so there" the rosette stuck out her tongue knowing she'd won their verbal spar.

Even if there were many things he could say in response he let her win this time "By the way why did you, Naruto and Sasuke feel the need to come up with disguises" Kakashi inquired having never gotten a concrete answer out of the two boys.

Sakura straightened then shot a look at Minato who shrugged "We knew Kakashi-sensei, about the Chunin Exams two weeks before you told us, we came up with the disguises so we wouldn't be recognized by you while we tried to figure out what you were up to" Sakura admitted.

Causing him to groan and his sensei to laugh at him again even Sasori looked pretty amused, which helped him come to a decision about his former village, in order to be accepted he had to go back and face his past.

Four hours later Naruto and Sasuke were back from some organizational work down at T&I "So Granny Tsunade released you from the hospital huh Sakura-chan, did she give you any instructions" Naruto spotted Sakura seated in the living room first.

"Just no strenuous exercise for another week but I can do fifteen minutes a day if I want so long as I have help then I can probably start doing a couple missions here and there" Sakura informed glad that she hadn't been prescribed that medicine.

One week of taking it was enough in her mind considering the food Naruto and Sasuke were making her and if she wasn't mistaken they were going to continue making it as well "Then we'll help, just let us know when you want to do that" Sasuke shrugged.

Heading into the kitchen with Naruto on his heels to cook dinner for everyone, even though Sakura was back she wouldn't be able to cook for awhile yet, plus he was starting to enjoy cooking actually.

By the time they were done, his parents and Shisui had come to visit only to be very surprised "Sakura-chan" Mikoto squealed in delight, shooting a glare at her son for not telling her that the girl was out of the hospital.

Followed by trying to break the poor girls spine by hugging her "Mikoto ease up a little" Fugaku saw the pained resignation on Sakura's face, indicating that the hug was painful but knowing that Mikoto was like this regardless and wouldn't say a word.

So it was up to him and Mikoto released her hastily "Kami I'm sorry I didn't think…" the Uchiha Matriarch looked completely broken and Sakura gently returned her hug, easily forgiving the woman to her relief.

"But boy are we glad your back Sakura-chan, by the way did Sasuke tell you what he did" Shisui piped in, flopping down unceremoniously, missing the warning glare from Fugaku while Sakura shook her head.

Before Shisui could say anything Sasuke slapped a hand over the man's mouth "SHUT UP Shisui-san, I'm going to tell her but not right now" Sasuke hissed not wanting Sakura to go from calm and happy to apocalyptic.

A little shocked at the reaction Shisui nodded slowly in response as Sasuke removed his hand "Guess that's one way to reign Shisui-chan in" Mikoto commented, proud of her second child for his display of maturity.

Fugaku agreed "Come now, you as well Shisui, lets leave them to eat dinner in peace" the Uchiha Patriarch commanded, pulling his wife away from Sakura while shooting a look at Shisui who was eerily quiet but willing to follow his order as they left.

Then for another week Sakura did fifteen minutes of exercise daily where she was given the okay to go on D rank missions until a month had gone by that she'd been woken up from her coma "Hokage-sama wants to see you three in her office" Kakashi said one afternoon.

Just returning from a separate mission than his students, Sasori had taken over during his absence since he was capable of dealing with their antics without going insane apparently "Okay" Sakura shrugged not arguing.

While the boys groaned and Sasuke still had yet to tell her about the incident in which he'd gone after Itachi and ended up in the hospital for two weeks himself "Ugh fine" Naruto grumbled exhausted from the training he'd been undertaking courtesy Minato.

"Dobe" Sasuke rolled his eyes at the whining, feeling equally as tired since he'd asked his Father to train him as well, leaving Sakura to Sasori who had her on a muscle building regimen, before Naruto could start in with the insults, Sakura slapped them both upside the head.

Grabbed their wrists and in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms was gone to the Hokage Tower and when they got to Tsunade's office they found Shino and Shikamaru there as well, Tsunade seated at her desk hands steepled together.

As she looked the five of them over before nodding "The Chunin Exam Judges, Sarutobi-sensei and I convened and decided on who to promote, so congratulations Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Shikamaru Nara for becoming Chunin" Tsunade declared.

Before turning her attention on Shino "I'm sorry I can't promote you, I'm sure you understand brat, you won by default, the judges didn't get a chance to see your skills in action so no promotion" the honey eyed blonde said not sparing Shino's feelings.

"Of course Hokage-sama and I don't feel as if I would deserve it anyway" Shino nodded, displaying maturity in the face of rejection, plus what she said was true, he hadn't had a chance to show the judges what he could do and it wouldn't be fair.

Unsurprisingly enough the only one who had an actual problem with being promoted was Shikamaru "What a drag, can I turn the promotion down cause being a Chunin sounds way to troublesome" Shikamaru grumbled only to be told no.

While a Chunin Vest was shoved into his arms, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura got one as well along with new hitai-ate's before the five of them were dismissed, Kakashi was never prouder of his students when they returned as newly promoted Chunin.

And Sasori decided that now was the time "Then expect your first mission as Chunin soon Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke because I'm going to request you three as my escort back to Sunagakure, I have business there apparently" Sasori informed.

Eyeing Sakura to watch her closely, "We'll be waiting then Sasori-sensei" the pinkette nodded, feeling like things seemed a little to surreal as she clutched her Chunin vest, Sasori gave her a small nod in return before Kakashi went to order take out to celebrate.


	24. Chapter 23

Less than a full two weeks later during which Sakura had gone to custom order a new ear dagger since the one Sasori had given her had been lost and thanks Sasuke and Naruto profusely for returning her metal bow with quiver of arrows.

Sasori finally made his way to Tsunade to request the mission "I'd like to request an escort to Sunagakure, if I'm ever going to be free to stay here I need to deal with my old village first" Sasori requested.

"Oh and I assume you have the perfect escorts in mind do you, three weeks Akasuna that's all I'll give you and those three will do quite nicely seeing as they haven't gone any mission to test their caliber as Chunin yet" Tsunade said.

After staring at him intensely for several minutes "Should be more than enough time but I'll give them today to prepare and we'll set out first thing in the morning tomorrow" the redhead shrugged hoping things didn't go to hell in a handbasket on him.

Tsunade rolled her honey eyes "Fine now get out of my office I have paperwork to get to so those damn elders don't have a reason to breathe down my neck constantly anymore" the Fifth Hokage barked expecting some sort of reaction.

But the man before her merely nodded and headed out the door back to the Uchiha Compound where those brats kept themselves cooped up ninety percent of the time "Guess what you three, starting tomorrow you have a mission" Sasori informed.

Waving the mission scroll at the brats as he and many others fondly called them "What rank is it and do we have time to prepare" Sasuke chimed in first, already inwardly going over everything he would need if he had time to get it.

"It's B, your first as Chunin and yes, we don't leave until tomorrow morning so I suggest you set your alarms early or you won't get any breakfast" the crimson haired rogue warned, just empty threats really, he wouldn't be that cruel.

Considering Sakura still needed to eat every meal she could "Roger that Sasori-sensei" Naruto saluted, knowing that before they could leave informing their superiors at both the hospital and T&I were first on the agenda.

Last to stand was Sakura who nodded approvingly at him "Come on knucklehead, hospital first, then T&I, Sasuke you go tell your parents then meet us at the market" Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand, barked out orders like a pro and vanished in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms.

Kakashi chuckled "You do realize that none of them prepare normally right, they go to the extreme" Kakashi warned, hardly able to sit down and watch their antics, it would be Sasori's first time watching them prepare for a mission and he wasn't going to miss that for the world.

"Hold on what do you mean" Sasori frowned a little baffled over what the hell the man was talking about but Kakashi remained tight lipped about it leaving him to sit and wait for Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura's return.

Fifteen minutes after the initial learning of their mission Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto met up at the market as they always did "Okay we'll need a book with the general lay out of Wind Country and what to expect from the elements" the fuscia haired teen ticked off her fingers.

That being the most important so they could prepare accordingly "We'll also need lots of water, so probably two extra jugs each and thicker blankets" the Uchiha sighed knowing that it was a hot country during the day while it got colder at night.

Naruto nodded his head "Even though this is pretty serious, I'm kind of excited you know" the Uzumaki chattered as they stopped at the bookstore first, got two new books, paid for them and left, marching towards their second store.

"I agree, this will be our first time going to another shinobi village" Sakura smiled equally ecstatic but able to reign herself in as they got four jugs of water each that were promptly sealed away, followed by whatever food supplies they would need.

Which was a lot "True, alright next is the thicker blankets and maybe a change in clothing style if only for the duration of this mission" Sasuke commented, eyeing the yukata he was currently wearing, it was rather thin.

"Maybe not so much a change but probably a couple of thicker yukata's to go along with the blankets" Naruto amended, use to wearing the yukata's that had been introduced to them courtesy of Sasori, so Sasuke shrugged and led the way to a clothing store.

Bought three thicker yukata each and finished their shopping trip up by getting three thicker blankets to deal with the nights of Wind Country, then finally returned to the house only to disappear up the stairs to their rooms briefly.

Five minutes later they were back, a variety of things in their arms "Do I even want to know" the redhead that was going to be their client tomorrow on until the end of the mission raised a brow on them as they sat on the floor.

Empty packs at their sides "Probably not Sasori-sensei, it's better if you don't ask actually" the pinkette deadpanned grabbing some blank scrolls, deciding that it was more than likely time to use new scrolls and drew the storage seal on them.

Her comment made Sasori roll his hazel eyes but watch them closely as the brats sealed away a large variety of foods, way to much for just a mere three day walk, it would probably last them for a whole month, followed by the appropriate amount of water necessary.

Medical supplies for all three of them was divided up making him realize "You two, when did you learn medical ninjutsu" Sasori asked not having though much about the duo disappearing every day even though they'd told him, he hadn't believed them until just now apparently.

"Oh it was a couple months after you left Sasori-sensei, it's been tough, but we feel accomplished if you know what I mean" the knuckleheaded Uzumaki admitted, stuffing the scrolls so far neatly in his pack, along with the clothing scroll.

Sasori scowled as Sasuke snorted "Just what did you think we were doing every time we left the house, not picking flowers that's for sure" the Uchiha scoffed, checking over his pack one last time before nodding in satisfaction.

Because everything that was supposed to be in it was there so now they could study the book on Wind Country they got and head out knowledgeable of what to expect "And they do that every time" the crimson haired rogue asked.

Glancing to Kakashi who nodded "Exactly, ultimately their obsessive preparing tendencies do tend to save their lives, and I thank you for that" the Copy Ninja said, confusing Sasori even more because he never taught the brats how to over prepare for missions.

Then as he got to thinking, he realized that he might not have taught them specifically but they had derived it from his teachings which amused him more than he thought actually possible as they studied a book and debated back and forth coming up with multiple strategies.

Until the day was simply gone and the trio headed to bed early, they were also some of the first ones awake to make breakfast "Just bring them back Akasuna, I may not admit it much, but those kids are important to me" Kakashi said as they were preparing to head out.

"Leave it to me Hatake, their important to me too and I would never let anything happen to them" Sasori nodded shortly, understanding where the younger man was coming from, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke weren't just his students anymore they were Kakashi's to and the man cared.

And they seemed to equally care about their jonin instructor because Sakura hugged him "We'll be fine Kakashi-sensei" Sakura assured confidently, she didn't feel as if anything bad would happen for once so she felt right saying that.

"Right then we'll be back in a couple of weeks Kakashi, try not to get to lonely without us" Sasuke smirked earning a glare for being mouthy and dodging the hand that came up to whack him from Sakura.

Sasori rolled his eyes at their antics wondering how he hadn't gone insane yet, 'Oh wait I already have' he remembered inwardly, why else would he be contemplating pledging his loyalty to Konohagakure after being a rogue for so many years.

"Make sure you try not to cause to much trouble for Sasori-san" Minato warned lightly to his son who was shoving his feet into his sandals still, Sakura and Sasuke already done and stood at the ready to leave.

The boy popped up at that "K Dad we're going now" Naruto sulked, not sure why it felt so different all of a sudden, maybe it was because he actually had someone telling him to mind his manners and to see him off on missions that had to be it.

With that the four of them headed out leaving the house to Minato and Kakashi for the next two weeks and marched towards the gates where they all signed out and started down the path that would lead them to Sunagakure.

It was three hours later that Sasori took note of Sakura lagging behind a little bit so decided that it was about time for a quick break "Hold up, we're taking a break, there's no hurry after all" the redhead called.

Pulling them to a stop and Sakura sighed in relief "Alright there Sakura, do you need some water" the blonde asked immediately concerned when the girl plopped down on a rock and rubbed her calf muscles lightly.

"I'm okay, my muscles are a little sore since we haven't done exercise like this for awhile" the rosette admitted feeling like she'd taken a massive step back on her training, she absolutely hated this feeling of being weak.

Sasuke winced "Don't worry between the three of us I bet you could still kick our asses in a spar" the raven blurted not wanting to see that look of utter self-loathing on her face anymore, his statement did the trick though as she couldn't help but giggle to Sasori's amusement.

And twenty minutes later they were on the move again until it was time for lunch "Right, seeing as you three went overboard make lunch quickly then by the time its dinner we should be right at the border of River Country" Sasori informed.

Hoping that they were past the border because he certainly didn't want to be caught near Ame, the most risky part of attempting to return to his former village was crossing into Akatsuki territory "Got it Sasori-sensei" Naruto saluted.

Gratefully removing his pack and digging through it for the easy to cook things as Sasuke made up the fire "Honestly knucklehead" Sasuke snorted as ramen was pulled out, the healthy kind that had come out recently.

"Better than nothing I suppose" Sakura shrugged grabbing the kettle from the spare pocket in her pack and filling it with water from an extra jug she had on hand and soon it was boiling over the suddenly roaring fire courtesy a katon jutsu.

And thirty minutes later they were packing up and headed for the border again to Sasori's relief they managed to make it across, through river country and into wind country all an hour before dinner which gave them an extra hour to get as far away from Ame as he could get them.

Before none of the brats wanted to move another inch so they were happy when he called for a final stop "I can't believe we got so far in one day" the Uzumaki chattered, having thought it would take the usual three days.

Sasuke shot him a look "Yeah but there are sandstorms to watch out for remember that Dobe" the Uchiha reminded lightly to tired to really get into a debate at that specific moment, Naruto was in the same boat.

While Sakura was even worse off than them "Would you both just start dinner already" the pinkette sighed healing her aching calf muscles and extremely hungry, Naruto and Sasuke immediately shut up and got started making the evening meal.

Once eaten the lone girl was the first to fall asleep knowing they would have another early start "Before you go to sleep Sasuke, send this message ahead with Umo, I assume you still have the hawk summons correct or am I wrong" the auburn haired rogue requested.

Unsure if the boy had kept the summons or not while holding out a pre-written message to the Kazekage informing them of their arrival sometime within the next couple of days, Sasuke was right a sandstorm could delay them so he made sure to include that in the message.

The boy groaned, flashed through the hand signs, attached the message to the hawks foot then sent Umo ahead of them before flopping down in his bedroll wearing the thicker outer yukata underneath the thicker blanket only to start snoring seconds later as he fell asleep.

Naruto having followed Sakura in sleep mere seconds after she'd fallen asleep, leaving him to keep watch over them the entire night to ensure nothing happened since they hadn't set up traps to ensure their protection.

And the following morning after an early breakfast they were on their way to Suna once again and to their lucky stars it was just two hours after lunch that they reached the village where they were greeted by the Kazekage himself.

He didn't look very happy to see Sasori at all given the murderous glare he kept casting the man until the Kazekage seemed to realize Sasori wasn't alone, "You do realize that your out of the protection that Konohagakure offered you don't you Akasuna" Rasa reminded.

"No he's not…ow Sakura-chan that hurt" the blonde he remembered from that day on the roof piped in only to get whacked by the only girl who was clearly no longer unconscious, in fact the blonde nearly ate sand from the whack.

Sakura shook her head "We only came to escort Sasori-san at his request, the rest is up to you and him Kazekage-sama" the rosette bowed lightly, proving to have a mature head on her shoulders in the face of potentially losing someone important to her.

Rasa narrowed his eyes at that as Sasori snorted "Damn brat I'm your client aren't I, you three should protect me" Sasori scowled at the girl, though he knew she was right, this was something he had to do on his own.

Even Sasuke was against him "True but that would defeat the purpose of why you came here wouldn't it Akasuna-sensei" the Uchiha said quite arrogantly, doing his best to be the most annoying that he could be in that moment.

Prompting Sasori to shoot him an extremely irritated scowl "Why did I ever want to train you again, that's right your parents begged me, anyway Kazekage their right I came here to negotiate things with you peacefully" the redhead informed calmly after putting the brat in his place.

The Kazekage glared at him a little more before finally nodding his head in agreement and gesturing for them to sign in "Don't expect any sympathy Akasuna" the crimson haired Kage warned watching for any funny business at the same time.

But the four of them signed in with speed and swiftness and then they were being led down the streets of Sunagakure to the Kazekage Tower to his office where he sat at his desk "Tell me something Akasuna, what is it about these mere children that changed you so" Rasa questioned.

Having been wondering and to him they didn't look that special really "Do you know anyone else that could have gotten me to come here willingly Kazekage" Sasori shot back and Rasa had to concede the point made.

Mere children as he'd called them had done the seemingly impossible "And to be honest I can't really tell you as I have no idea myself, all I know is that I made a mistake when I left them but now I want to be there for these brats for good" the redhead sighed.

"Sakura-san was it, this man here, how would you describe him even with the knowledge of him being a wanted criminal" the Kazekage set his gaze on Sakura who he hadn't gotten a chance to speak with until just now.

Sakura looked surprised he was even talking to her but where he expected her to fumble, she stood strong "Like a brother to me, when I was at one of my lowest points in life, Sasori-sensei came up to me and said I could be strong if I let him teach me" Sakura admitted.

Now that was surprising "Even knowing he's a criminal" Rasa prodded and she nodded, then he caught Sasori's expression out of the corner of his eye, it was a look of fondness like a brother would have for a younger sibling.

Though now he knew who was most important to the rogue "Don't get me wrong though I'm very angry over that fact because none of us knew until that day of the Final Rounds" the girl gestured at her teammates who nodded solemnly.

While Sasori exhaled quietly in frustration then he remembered little Uchiha still had yet to tell her about his own stupidity and decided that it was worth it having her angry at him for now because he knew Sakura was going to explode on the brat sooner or later.

Rasa looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or yell "Very well give me a couple of days to think about your request Akasuna for now expect a tail for everywhere you go in this village" the Kazekage relented.

Sasori nodded in understanding and stood "Come on brats, there's a hotel nearby if I'm not wrong, then you can go get dinner for yourselves" Sasori ordered leading the way out of the tower and down a couple of streets where the hotel he'd mentioned was and rented three rooms.

One for himself, one for Sakura and one for the two boys to share though they glared at him for making them share but he quite happily ignored the duo to settle in his separate room while they went out to find a restaurant for dinner.

The one they so happened to find was being occupied by the Sabaku Siblings coincidentally enough and Temari was the first one to spot them, teal eyes widening at the girl situated in between the two boys.

So without warning Sakura found herself crushed in a hug by Temari "Pinky thank kami your alright, we've been worried like hell you know" Temari shouted, nearly bursting the younger kunoichi's eardrums in the process.

"Hi Temari, Gaara, Kankuro" Sakura waved after smoothly escaping from Temari's hug it had reminded her of Mikoto's hug scarily enough, but she did it just so without hurting the older girls feelings since it was nice of her to have worried this whole time, making her feel a little guilty.

And then Kankuro had to go and open his mouth "So how about you Uchiha how are you doing after well you know whatever reason you were in the hospital for" Kankuro glanced to Sasuke who paled a little.

Especially as Sakura turned a glare on him "Er well I'm fine, just fine" Sasuke held up his hands trying and failing to seem like he wasn't wholly terrified of his female teammate who raised a fuscia brow looking entirely unimpressed with him.

"Come on Teme better to just get it over with and tell her, in fact you should have told Sakura-chan ages ago I mean that is why you stopped Shisui-san from telling her isn't it so you could do it yourself" Naruto scoffed.

The Sand Siblings watching on in confusion as Sakura tapped her foot patiently "I might have went after Itachi and got my ass handed to me" the raven of Team Seven blurted in a totally uncool way.

Sakura shook her head in disappointment "Don't think your being entirely let off the hook Sasuke-chan, cause as soon as we're home I'm mopping the floor with you got it" the rosette scowled at him then returned to her conversation with Temari.

"Very temperamental isn't she" the brunet grimaced, eyeing the younger girl, that he hoped to have a chance to talk to at some point given that she was a puppet user like him, in response Naruto and Sasuke nodded grudgingly.

Off to the side was Gaara "Can we ask why your here in Sunagakure all of a sudden" Gaara rumbled in that gravely tone, none of them had been informed by their Father apparently so Naruto was the one to answer.

Before Sakura could "Mission to escort Sasori-sensei here, so he could figure out something about his situation being a criminal and all that I mean" the blonde admitted, still miffed over the fact that he had to share a bloody room with Sasuke again.

Kankuro snorted while Gaara had very little reaction "What are you three hoping for, our Father, Lord Kazekage isn't a kind man, so if your expecting Akasuna to be acquitted, your wasting your time" the teal eyed blonde said.

Unsympathetic of the genin "Indeed" the crimson haired preteen nodded, imagine their surprise when Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura nodded in understanding, then finally move off to do what they'd come to the restaurant for by ordered dinner, where they ate and went back to their hotel afterwards to get some shuteye.

Two days later Rasa came to a decision that shocked everyone including his children "Sasori Akasuna, I, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage strip you of your international criminal status, on three conditions" the Kazekage declared.

As they gathered in his office to find out what he'd decided "Okay Kazekage, tell me the conditions" the now former rogue shrugged, willing to do anything really in order to go back to Leaf with the brats.

"Good, good, first condition, you will swear your loyalty completely to Konohagakure and become a proper shinobi of that village, I'll be sending Anbu to make sure you have done this in the near future" Rasa steepled his fingers together as he said the first condition.

Sasori shrugged yet again "Was always my plan Kazekage I didn't leave Akatsuki for show you know" the redhead scoffed, Sakura frowned at him in response, prompting him to sigh because he knew what she was frowning at him for so he decided to take this a little more seriously.

By straightening in his seat, attention focused solely on Rasa "The second condition Akasuna, you will spend approximately one week doing volunteer work and the last condition I'm sure you remember Chiyo-sama, good telling her about all this is your responsibility" the Kazekage finished.

"Wonderful, I understand Kazekage-sama, utterly and completely" Sasori nodded, having already decided to commit to whatever the man would throw at him even if it meant dealing with his Grandmother, just to appease his students, Sakura more than the other two.

Not to surprised Sasori was relenting to the demands placed on him Rasa waved them out of his office "Right brats I have to go see someone, I'm sure you can find something to occupy yourselves in the meantime" the former rogue shooed the chunin off.

Found out where Chiyo was and headed that way leaving Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto standing around for a couple of minutes "Come on Sasuke, maybe we can use the training grounds or something" Naruto huffed.

"Perfect I've been meaning to snag Sakura for a chat anyway" Kankuro popped up out of nowhere and nearly got punched because of the suddenness of his arrival, thankfully though Sakura managed to stop her reaction in time to not punch him.

But he edged warily away from her anyway "Yeah better to not scare her as I'm sure you see why" Sasuke grimaced, letting himself be dragged away by Naruto, both of them okay with leaving Sakura with Kankuro for the time being.

Sakura who smiled apologetically at the older teenager "Sorry, so what did you want to talk about Kankuro" Sakura apologized then grew curious about what kind of chat the guy wanted to have with her.

He grinned at her in answer "Puppetry, I couldn't help but notice your use of a puppet during the coup, so does Leaf have a store that sells puppets or something and did Akasuna teach you" the brunet questioned.

As they walked along the streets, him subtly leading her to his favorite shop in the village "Sasori-sensei did not teach me and nope, he left me an address to order puppet parts from, that's here in Suna actually" the rose haired Chunin shook her head.

It hit him less than a moment later "Does that mean you made that weird porcupine looking puppet then" Kankuro asked, eyes wide and wondering how she'd come up with it, seeing as he couldn't even design his own puppets yet and here was someone younger than him who could.

"One other as well, it looks like a spider that has a detachable stinger which I put a self made concoction on, I can show you later if you like cause I brought both of them" Sakura admitted, happy to chat with another puppet user besides Sasori.

Who didn't really talk about the subject much, Kankuro whistled "So how do you design your puppets, did Akasuna help you or something" the brunet prodded about to be surprised again he was sure and he was right.

As Sakura shook her head "I drew the designs myself, if you want Kankuro I can draw you a design for any kind of puppet you want and help you make it even" the pinkette offered, looking excited at such an idea.

To that kind of face he couldn't very well say no "Absolutely Sakura and I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship" Kankuro grinned, leading her into the shop she'd been ordering from for however long that he didn't know.

Her emerald orbs lit up "You know Kankuro I think your right" Sakura grinned just as widely as she went to inspect the merchandise, just chatting back and forth until she decided on what she wanted to buy.

"Let's go make sure those two teammates of yours aren't causing any trouble" the brunet commented suddenly knowing better than to leave foreign shinobi alone in the village, who knows what sort of incidents they could cause.

Sakura grimaced "I don't blame you Kankuro, those two are known for their recklessness" the rosette frowned, already honed in on their chakra, easily able to sense it due to how long they'd all known each other.

Fortunately they were both behaving under the watch of Temari and Gaara surprisingly "Wondered where you were Pinky, so where did Kankuro drag you, somewhere stupid like that puppet shop right" Temari snorted once she realized Sakura had appeared out of nowhere.

But the reaction she was expecting she didn't get "Puppetry isn't stupid Temari-chan, in fact it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities during a fight" Sakura informed exasperatedly as if she'd said that line to other people not just her.

Teal eyes widened "Found yourself an ally I see Kankuro" the four-tailed blonde huffed softly having hoped that she could get the girl interested in the same things she was into but no Kankuro just had to go and corrupt her first.

"I bet Temari that if you asked her she would join you doing something you like to do as well, same with you Gaara" Kankuro rolled his eyes at his sisters pouting while Sakura did a few stretches, made a hand sign, then began sparring with her own clone.

Considering Naruto and Sasuke were busy with their own spar "Do you really think she'd spend time with me as a friend" Gaara rumbled, clearly dubious of that fact, because even the people of his own village didn't want to be his friend.

Just then the clone Sakura was sparring against became nothing more than a puddle of water on the ground "Holy hell Sakura-chan you're getting to be mighty scary these days" Naruto shuddered earning an exasperated glare.

Making him snicker "Yeah one of these days you'll even probably be on par with Lady Hokage" Sasuke nodded in agreement, seeing as Sakura could utilize the same chakra enhanced attacks as their current Hokage.

Sakura blushed lightly in response "Anyway are you done, I'd like to show you my hobby if your interested" Temari asked when the two boys went back to sparring making Sakura huff at them and roll her eyes at their antics.

But at the option of doing something else she lit up "Sure Temari, then afterwards we can all go get lunch together" the rose haired Chunin suggested, inwardly promising to hang out with Gaara as well and show Kankuro her puppets like she'd told him she would.

"Come on then lets leave these guys and have some fun Pinky" the teal eyed kunoichi grabbed the younger one by the arm to drag her off to the greenhouses where they grew their flora, Sakura was completely in awe over the different and unique looking flowers to her surprise.

And then it was time to group back up for lunch at the Tea Shop "What did I tell ya Temari, Sakura's not picky about what she does" the middle Sabaku sibling said to his older sister when they all sat and ordered their food.

Naruto and Sasuke commandeering what Sakura got though in the form of the most healthiest meal on the menu, sweet-potato and lentil curry, with green tea and while she was just fine with that she refused to let them take away her sweet in the form of dango.

How she did this was she raised a brow on both boys until they inched away from her ending the argument "Obviously" Temari snorted, eyeing Naruto and Sasuke in slight amusement, especially when Naruto tried to persuade her from eating such an unhealthy thing once more.

Only to get another look "Your not taking my dango away Naruto, Sasuke, I've let you dictate what I eat for the last month now let me eat my sweet in peace" Sakura glared at them annoyed even if they were just trying to make sure she remained healthy.

Sasuke and Naruto shared defeated looks with one another and finally relented seeing as she was right "Now Gaara what sort of hobby do you have" the pinkette focused her attention on Gaara next who blinked slowly at her.

As if he didn't understand what she was asking him "Forgive him Sakura, he was of the mind that you wouldn't hang out with him any" Kankuro informed snapping his little brother out his daze while Sakura's forehead creased in confusion.

Until realization dawned on her "Because you're a Jinchuuriki you think that I….Gaara never assume that people will hate you just because of what you have sealed inside of you okay, I would NEVER treat someone that way" Sakura began in an angry tone only to massively calm down.

Punctuating her statement with a blinding smile aimed solely at Gaara "If your sure about spending time with me then, I'd like to show you my garden of cacti" Gaara offered, just a little stunned at her vehemence.

So upon lunch being thoroughly devoured by hungry teenagers Sakura traipsed after him to his garden where he liked to cultivate various cacti, oohing and awing over them as he explained what each type was before it was time to head home.

Leaving Sakura to head back to the hotel she was staying in for the time being "The hell did you brats do all day" Sasori scowled when they trudged into their rooms looking exhausted, especially Sakura, earning sheepish laughs.

"Me and Sasuke sparred half the day then went around with Kankuro and Gaara, while Sakura-chan spent time with all three of them doing this and that" Naruto admitted about to fall asleep on his feet.

Sakura rolled her eyes, nodded to Sasori and disappeared into her separate room "Alright knucklehead lets go to bed shall we, Akasuna-sensei see you in the morning" Sasuke grunted physically dragging Naruto into their shared room so they could sleep.

And before they knew it, it was time to go home, Sasori completing two of his conditions within the time frame given for the mission, leaving them plenty of time to return back to their village to complete their first ever B Rank as newly minted Chunin.


	25. Chapter 24

Upon their return to Konohagakure, Sakura pinned Sasuke with the most furious glare she could muster and arranged herself to stand on the other side of Naruto who was now stuck in the middle unlike how it usually was.

"Brat is there a reason your suddenly….." Sasori began in an amused tone before trailing off as he realized she must have found out about Sasuke's recklessness in facing his older brother and was now punishing him for it.

In the next second, still glaring at Sasuke she turned her head in his direction "Suddenly what Sasori-sensei, angry, livid, furious, pick your choice of words but they don't express how I feel knowing that Sasuke went off half-cocked and got hurt so bad he was in the hospital" Sakura spat.

Quite clearly at Sasuke who flinched at the vitriol he was receiving "Ouch" Naruto couldn't help but wince himself, Sasori nodded, having known this would happen, Sakura was wrath incarnate sometimes and Sasuke more than deserved it.

Considering Mikoto hadn't punished the boy "In my defense that murderous bastard put Kakashi in the hospital first and I wanted to teach him a lesson not to mess with our sensei" Sasuke sulked, even if it wasn't a very good excuse.

Sakura if possible became even more incensed at him " _ **That's no excuse Sasuke Uchiha to run off recklessly like that**_ " the rosette snarled at him in a furious tone that had him and everyone in the vicinity taking several steps away from her.

As her chakra fluctuated dangerously "Okay can we just report in to Granny Tsunade before you make an even bigger scene" the Uzumaki sweat dropped at the KI coming from his best friend, she was positively murderous.

Thankfully though his statement got through to her and she calmed, for now at least, "Well bratty Uchiha still think it was wise to hide it from her" the scarlet haired former rogue asked as they began their trek once more to the Hokage Tower.

Sasuke gave him a pale faced look in response, shaking his head minutely "I didn't think she'd…." the Uchiha trailed off with a shudder and he knew the worst was yer to come, she had promised after all to mop the floor with him so to speak when they got back home.

Sasori shook his head but ushered them up the steps of the Tower where they had to wait fifteen minutes before getting to see Tsunade to report in "I can't believe the Kazekage actually stripped you of your criminal status" the busty blonde commented incredulously.

While wondering what it was about the Chunin he'd taken on the mission as his escort that had him doing everything in his power just to remain with them "Yes well it wasn't easy Hokage-sama" Sasori snorted lightly.

Having had a devil of a time, Chiyo had been like hell to deal with "That's right Granny, the Kazekage guy didn't just strip him of that status free of charge" Naruto nodded, calling her that damnable nickname again.

"Naruto be more respectful and call Tsunade-sama by her title" Sakura cracked the boy right over his head with her fist obviously not amused and Naruto slid to the ground moaning about his aching cranium only to get an eye roll.

And Sasuke was just glad that it wasn't him that had gotten whacked, yet "Dobe seriously it's not like you can't heal yourself" Sasuke scoffed, equally as unamused, his comment was met with two glares instead of one and he quickly shut his mouth with an audible snap.

Their erstwhile sensei shaking his head at their antics again "Honestly all I'd wanted was a peaceful death instead I got stuck here babysitting you obnoxious brats" the redhead sighed under his breath looking like he wanted to fall on a sword or something.

His mumbling earned a raised eyebrow "Anyway well done on the mission, take the next few days off, but expect more missions like that to come your way ranging in all ranks from D to C to B got it brats" Tsunade snapped.

"Good that's more than enough time to teach Sasuke a lesson in not being reckless" the pinkette glared at her teammate, while cracking her knuckles menacingly before she gripped Sasuke's shirt and was gone in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms.

The last thing they saw of Sasuke was his rapidly paling face before they were simply gone "Ouch" the knucklehead blonde grimaced, following Sakura's lead by body flickering in a swirl of leaves he to was gone.

Leaving Sasori and Tsunade alone "Violent child isn't she" the Hokage questioned as the man sat himself down in the chair sensing she had more to speak with him about and he was right she did have many questions she wanted to ask.

Especially about that girl "Who Sakura, yes, very, from the time I started training her, well she use to be extremely shy actually, then her personality developed into that and got worse as the time went by" Sasori chuckled.

"So Akasuna and I'm sure you've been asked this question many times, but what exactly is so special about those brats particularly Haruno that has you conforming to their will" Tsunade narrowed honey orbs on the former rogue.

Wanting to get it all out of the way and into the open before she gave him a new Leaf Hitai-ate, Sasori sighed "I would have thought Hiruzen would have told you….." the redhead trailed off unsure if the woman knew his secret.

Case and point as Tsunade creased her forehead "Told me what…..ah you mean about that, Sarutobi-sensei did tell me something absurd but are you saying it was all true" the busty blonde inquired incredulously.

"All of it to the exact detail I'm sure Inoichi wouldn't mind letting you see, as for why those brats are important to me now, well I got to know them and I couldn't go through with my original plan any longer" Sasori informed quietly.

Having done a lot of rethinking in the months he hadn't seen his students "You still didn't say exactly why Haruno seems to be more important to you than those other brats" Tsunade raised a brow wanting to hear the man verbally say it.

Sasori curled his lip "Because she reminds me of myself a little bit, granted she didn't start out that way but when I noticed how I was rubbing off on her minutely, and then Orochimaru did what he did and took her parents that's when I realized" the scarlet haired man snapped.

Unafraid to do so "Very well then Akasuna, here's your headband, swear your oath of loyalty then you can go" the honey eyed blonde threw the brand new hitai-ate she had sitting on her desk at him and he caught it without batting an eye.

"I, Sasori Akasuna, solemnly swear my loyalty to Konohagakure, to serve it to my utmost abilities and be an upstanding shinobi and follow a path that others strive to follow me on, my skills and life are yours from this day forth Hokage-sama" Sasori knelt.

Only doing this for those brats otherwise he would never bow or kneel for anyone "Congratulations Akasuna and seeing how well you trained those three, I hope your ready to be a sensei all over again to a new batch of brats" Tsunade snorted.

When the rogue turned Leaf-nin stood straight up, looking completely horrified, a small amusement, but he also knew he couldn't get out of direct orders now that he was a full-time shinobi of Konohagakure given the suddenly resigned sigh.

Before he finally nodded "I'll train and teach them, maybe even become a little attached but make no mistake Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke are the ones most important and should they ever be in danger I won't be left behind when someone goes off to rescue them" the crimson haired man warned.

Promising to commit to his new duties as much as he could "That's fine and all I suppose but it will be up to you to find a replacement during such a time" the Fifth Hokage commented, waving her hand and finally dismissing him from her office, leaving him to head home.

She would assign him a squad of genin at a later time, when a new batch of academy students had graduated, and then she buckled down and got to work on paperwork, so those damn elders didn't have a reason to breathe constantly down her neck anymore.

~Thirty Minutes Earlier~

The minute they were back home or rather on the training grounds in the Uchiha Compound, Sakura released her captive and without chakra because she didn't want to seriously injure him, punched Sasuke and sent him flying across the field.

Sasuke grunted when he hit the ground after a couple of seconds, seeing stars from the sudden agony he was in "Kami just kill me now" the Uchiha pleaded, knowing this was just the beginning as he forced himself into a sitting position.

In the next second he regretted even moving because Sakura was practically right on top of him, lifting him by the front of his shirt collar, with another crack he was on the ground again "Just going to sit there and take it huh" Sakura questioned unamused.

When her teammate made no move to escape from her or the beating he was receiving "Would be kind of pointless if I ran, you'd just make it hurt even more anyway" Sasuke grimaced and she knew he was right.

Didn't change her mind about whooping his ass though "Next time don't run off like an idiot Sasuke" the rosette glared, fifteen minutes later once she thought she'd sufficiently beat anymore recklessness out of him.

And he was just happy that she hadn't made him suffer through another minute "Got it, for the record Sakura, I did feel really bad about it and I wanted to tell you ages ago but I could never find the right moment for it, plus I didn't want you to stress yourself out" the raven nodded slowly.

Blinking away the black spots and rising gingerly to his feet "And that's the only reason I didn't drawn this little lesson of mine out longer Sasuke, now come on I'm sure Naruto's waiting for us at the house" Sakura huffed not offering to heal him.

"You and your mood swings" Sasuke grumbled under his breath, healing himself so the worst of the injuries were dealt with, he didn't want to walk into his shared house looking like he was nearly beat to death after all.

This just proving Sakura didn't have to use chakra to make her punches hurt or bruise you like it looked like you had broken bones, it was slightly terrifying actually knowing how strong his teammate was actually getting nowadays.

A few minutes later they were well and truly back home and Naruto met them in the foyer "I kinda expected you to look worse than that" Naruto commented, seeing the beat up look his teammate was sporting but it wasn't all that bad.

Sakura really was to soft sometimes to the point where she was unable to cause serious harm to either one of them "Me to, plus I did heal myself some on the way here from the training grounds" the Uchiha grimaced.

Naruto winced a little "Be glad she didn't go all out on you I guess and if I could do what she did I would have kicked your ass for that stunt to Sasuke just so you know, you know" the Uzumaki admitted, patting Sasuke unsympathetically on the shoulder.

Before heading after Sakura who'd already headed into the living room to greet the others "Did something happen on your mission Sasuke" Kakashi raised a brow at Sasuke who flushed and looked to his toes in embarrassment.

Shaking his head all the while "No Kakashi-sensei, I was finally told about his reckless idea of facing down his brother" the fuscia haired Chunin informed, tone a little frosty, intending on giving Sasuke the cold shoulder for a little bit.

To really drive her point through his thick head "I suppose you should be glad she didn't simply just punch you out Sasuke and put you in the hospital" the Copy Ninja sighed, just glad they were home until they got another mission.

Off to the side Minato chuckled softly under his breath "Though now the reason for Mikoto-san never doing anything makes sense, Sakura seems to be the only one who can really get through to Sasuke-san" Minato commented to Kakashi, who nodded.

"For now I'm just glad their home" the former Hokage sighed softly in the next moment as the Chunin settled in their usual spots to do their own thing for awhile and ten minutes later Sasori traipsed into the house, sporting a Leaf Hitai-ate around his neck.

Indicating he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do which was get himself stripped of his now former international status as a rogue "Just to warn you, the Hokage plans on saddling me with genin" Sasori warned suddenly.

From where she was sketching who knows what Sakura lifted her head "That's great isn't it Sasori-sensei, that way you aren't intentionally cooping yourself up and will actually have something that will keep you busy when we're on missions you can't accompany us on" Sakura smiled.

Sasori rolled his eyes having expected Sakura would say something like that "Say I just had a thought, since you were a criminal at the time and part of that organization did you help Sasuke's big brother with uh you know the Uchiha Massacre" Naruto asked suddenly.

Being rather insightful as all noise in the living room stopped, Sasuke holding his breath as he awaited the man's answer "No, I had no part of that Naruto" the redhead admitted, glad that it was the truth because he didn't want to lie to the brats anymore.

"Good" Sasuke snorted after a moment then resumed reading from the book he'd grabbed off the shelf, about puppetry coincidentally, he wanted to see if he could learn as well, or rather the chakra threads, they would be helpful he was sure.

Kakashi and Minato shared a grimace "Could've had a disaster on our hands, I swear Naruto-kun is sometimes to insightful" Kakashi murmured to his former sensei who looked as if he didn't now whether to laugh or sigh in frustration.

"Perhaps Naruto-kun is more like me than I thought at first glance" Minato deadpanned, while thinking over all the times his son reminded him of his wife as well, before deciding Naruto was just a complete mix of them both regardless of who the boy looked more like.

"Thanks so much for being sympathetic brats, but I suppose having a new bunch of brats to teach and train won't be so bad" Sasori mused quietly to himself, it wouldn't be the same as training Naruto, Sasuke or Sakura that's for sure but it wouldn't be hard seeing as he was qualified.

Sakura giggled softly under her breath and continued drawing whatever the hell she was drawing, then after about forty minutes she popped up and disappeared upstairs "I'm going to send a letter to Karui-chan and Omoi, then go visit Ino for a bit" the pinkette called.

Putting her sketchpad in her laboratory, scribbled a couple letters, grabbed her wallet and in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms left the house "You'd think she'd be tired after beating my ass but no I swear she has the same amount of energy you have Naruto" the Uchiha groaned.

Unable to understand how Sakura could just run about like she could "Well think about it Sasuke, we have kind of kept a very close watch on Sakura-chan the last month or so, so all that energy of hers is pent up" the blonde snorted.

Meanwhile Sakura had appeared before the messenger bird tower only to be stopped from entering by a hand on her shoulder "Sakura-san, may I have a moment of your time" Neji requested, the last person she wanted to spend any inordinate amount of time with.

But since he asked politely she turned and face him properly "Okay Neji you have my attention" Sakura informed, hoping he wasn't going to ask her out again, she knew he'd changed of course but this was the first time they'd spoken since the Chunin Exams.

Neji knew he had limited time "I realized I was going about trying to get you to see me in a different light the entirely wrong way, that's why Sakura-san I would like to get to know you as a friend first before we decided if we're compatible in relationship later" the Hyuga declared.

Spewing that relationship crap again "Being friends is fine and all Neji, but I simply just don't want to be in a relationship with anyone period, please understand" the fuscia haired Chunin pleaded, tired all of a sudden.

"You're not even willing to see if I could be a good match for you, what is it about me that you find so undesirable" Neji asked equally frustrated and curious to hear her answer as to the reason she refused to see him.

She let out a little sigh "There's nothing wrong with you Neji, it's not that I find you or anyone who asks me out undesirable, I just can't commit to any form of relationship like that right now" Sakura stressed.

With that little bit and sudden insight Neji nodded and finally wandered away leaving her to send off her letters before popping in a swirl of purple cherry blossoms to Yamanaka Flower Shop where Ino spotted her through the door and charged.

Already squealing as she hugged her best friend tight "When did you get back from your mission, was it hard or easy come on you have to give me details seeing as I'm stuck as a lowly genin and your the one getting cool missions all the time" Ino chattered.

Dragging her into the shop "Just a few hours ago Ino and no it wasn't to hard, Sasori-sensei did the most on the mission while Naruto, Sasuke and I, kinda got to loaf around spending time with Temari, Kankuro and Gaara" the pinkette admitted.

"Ah your no fun but I'm glad nothing bad happened, so did you bring back a souvenir for anyone" the blonde stuck her tongue out, then switched on to a new subject all together and Sakura grinned in response before pulling out a package and held it out.

Ino latched on with a gleeful smile "And should Naruto get up off his lazy bum I know he has one for you as well Ino" Sakura snickered watching Ino tear into the package carefully and open it to reveal decorative hair sticks.

"Oh my gosh, I love them and I can't wait to see what that knucklehead got me, even though it's surprising he would even think to get something someone" Ino squealed louder than before then calmed down as her Father poked his head into the shop to find out what was going on.

And aimed the two girls a fond smile "Just Sakura-chan, Aiko, it appears she brought a souvenir back for Ino-chan" Inoichi called back to his wife who had asked him to find out who was making all that racket.

"That would do it I suppose" Aiko shrugged and for the next hour Sakura and Ino chattered about this and that before Sakura had to go home, where she gladly booted the boys out of the kitchen, claiming it was her turn for once since they'd cooked for a solid month.

Naruto and Sasuke conceded defeat at that point and planted their behinds on the couch while she pitter-pattered about the kitchen humming while she cooked the smells that wafted from the kitchen made their stomach growl loudly until finally Sakura declared dinner ready to eat.

Everyone was very surprised at the meal spread out before them but they ate and massively enjoyed it before the whole meal had been thoroughly devoured and she didn't have to life a single finger for cleanup and a couple hours later it was lights out for her and the rest of the house.

~Four Days Later~

As they were in the middle of having lunch with Mikoto, an anbu arrived to deliver a summons to the three Chunin "For heavens sake another B Rank Mission is Hokage-sama trying to get you killed" Mikoto was less than happy about it.

"Mother I doubt the mission is that bad" Sasuke soothed warily, having been taking extra precautions lately so as not to piss off temperamental females, i.e his mother, the Hokage and Sakura, all of them were scary when angry to his chagrin.

In response Mikoto pursed her lips "But we'll be careful nonetheless Mrs. Uchiha" Naruto assured once they'd hurriedly finished eating and cleaned up after themselves before taking Sakura's hands so she could take them across the village quickly.

And soon they were stood before the Hokage Team Eight coincidentally was there as well "Rather swift response" Tsunade raised a brow having thought it would take Team Seven a little longer to get there considering the time.

Unless they'd inhaled their food that was the only reason they were there so quickly "Yes Hokage-sama we try not to follow Kakashi-sensei previous example by being so late that it pisses people off after all" Sakura smiled lightly.

Sasuke and Naruto rolled their eyes but the three of them straightened, each wearing their Chunin vests quite proudly "Either way just like the summons said it's a new B Rank mission, Aburame there requested the mission" the busty blonde said.

Jumping straight in to explaining their mission "Precisely, why because we suspect that someone will be trying to steal a protected species in the bug habitat that it owned by my clan" Shino stepped forward clearing his throat as he did so.

Hoping that the mission wasn't rejected "And since all three of you are Chunin and in fact medics I feel as if it would be best to have you go along with Team Eight, Shibi and Kurenai" Tsunade announced.

Right as they were opening their mouths Kiba cut in "Hold the phone are you saying Uzumaki and Uchiha are medics I don't believe it, I mean yeah sure Uzumaki got lucky when he beat me and Hyuga during the exam but there's no way in hell he's a medical shinobi" Kiba scoffed.

"Well believe it or not Inuzuka I am in fact a medic and I was the one who healed you when Yakushi knocked you and Hinata-chan out and beating you and Neji had nothing to do with luck thank you very much" the blonde spat, much like Sakura, he hated to have his skills questioned and doubted.

Kiba immediately shut up "Anyone else want to interrupt me, no…good, anyway you have your mission, keep the Bikochu beetle from being stolen, you have your orders now move out" the honey eyed Hokage barked.

Sending the Chunin and Genin before her scrambling to pack for their mission "W..We'll meet you a..at the gates" Hinata called after Team Seven only one of whom waved indicating they'd heard before they were out of sight and hearing.

"Don't let Inuzuka get to you Naruto, I was angry to at basically being called a liar, but we were before Hokage-sama, we're Chunin which means we have to act a little more mature and tactful than that" the raven of Team Seven scolded lightly.

Even though he understood how the blonde felt "Think about it though, after this mission there's no way that Kiba will be able to doubt if you're a medic or not, both of you, now hurry up we don't have all day" the rosette smirked before urging them to speed up.

Minato, Kakashi and Sasori were surprised when the three of them got home and quickly disappeared to their rooms, being told they had a mission with Team Eight and the Aburame Patriarch was slightly alarming but none of them could do anything about it.

Except wish the three teenagers good luck before they were gone from the house and to the gates where Shibi and Kurenai were already waiting "Naruto-san, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san what are you doing here" Kurenai questioned when they arrived and promptly signed out.

"Hokage-sama didn't tell you…well she assigned us to your mission Kurenai-sensei, since we're all capable of using medical ninjutsu, I assume the habitat we're going to is full of poisonous plants and insects right…well Sakura can craft antidotes in fifteen minutes" Naruto informed.

Looking one part excited and another part anxious to get this mission over and done with "Can she now, that's intriguing to know, have you perhaps been taking lessons from Hokage-sama, Sakura-san" Shibi set his gaze on Sakura who shook her head lightly surprising him.

"I've been practicing for a long time Aburame-sama the private instructor during the academy had me learn as a precaution, every herb and their uses including both medicinal and poisonous" Sakura admitted, glad her skills might come in handy yet again.

Kurenai grimaced guiltily at that, feeling as if the girl had forgiven her way to easily despite what Asuma said about Sakura, she had to be holding a grudge even if she would never show it "Lets not forget we've been studying lately as well" Sasuke chimed in not wanting to be forgotten.

With that the three of them fell silent until Shino, Kiba and Hinata appeared "Wha….how the hell did you get here first" the Inuzuka spluttered having thought that they would be the first ones to the gate not Team Seven but here he was and completely wrong about his prediction.

"Because we didn't need to spend an inordinate amount of time packing Kiba that's how" the pinkette informed, already on the alert for danger, considering Team Seven as a whole were danger magnets apparently.

Kiba spluttered a little more before scowling as he signed out "Th..There, the..there Kiba-kun, the..they are Ch..Chunin after all, y..you should have expected it" the bluenette pat her teammate on the shoulder sympathetically.

Having suspected her former classmates to already be waiting for them despite what she'd said "Yeah, plus we really don't want people to think that just cause Kakashi's our sensei that he's rubbed his late tendencies off on us" the Uchiha snorted suddenly.

Making Hinata and Sakura giggle softly "As much as I hate to admit it, it's true, people are always surprised when we show up early or on time, cause of Kakashi-sensei" the blonde knucklehead sniffed lightly with a roll of his eyes.

Shino, Kiba and Hinata eyed them as if they'd never really seen the members of Team Seven before "In anyway case we should get going, why because there's a limited time frame in which we have to protect the Bikochu which is rapidly approaching" the Aburame heir pointed out.

And a moment later they were on their way to the Bug Habitat owned by his clan "I do hope all of you are appropriately prepared after all the enemy we'll be coming up against will be no pushovers" the Aburame Patriarch warned.

When they were halfway to the habitat since it wasn't but half a days walk from the village, he supposed he should have given them a little more time to prepare if that was the case, but it didn't look like anyone was scrambling to see if they'd forgotten anything.

Especially the Chunin on the mission "Shibi's right, making sure your properly prepared for a mission could mean….." the crimson eyed Jonin began only to be interrupted midway through her lecture by Sakura.

"A matter over life or death we know Kurenai-sensei, and while Sasori-sensei didn't technically teach us how to prepare for missions, he said that line enough to the point where I could probably recite it in my sleep" Sakura chimed in.

The older kunoichi blinked in surprise "You mean Kurenai-sensei was telling the truth about how you three were instructed by a criminal during the academy, how could you even…" Kiba began in a belligerent tone as if he'd only just realized this.

But was swiftly cut off by a glare from Sakura "Stuff it Inuzuka, old man Hokage gave him permission and he was a double agent, besides none of that matters anymore anyway since he's now a full time Konohagakure shinobi, considering he was stripped of his criminal status" Naruto snapped.

Prompting Kiba to shut up thoroughly chastised by the kid he'd thought would be to goofy to ever take seriously but here Naruto was proving him wrong it left a sour taste in his mouth "Really, his former village stripped him of his international criminal status" Shibi questioned.

Getting nods "How exactly did you get the Kazekage, a man known for his ruthlessness, to accept your request" Kurenai asked incredulously, hardly able to believe it, unless they'd done something special but it turned out that wasn't the case at all.

As she found out in the next moment courtesy of Sasuke "The Kazekage imposed conditions on Akasuna that he had to complete, other than escorting him there we didn't really do anything" Sasuke shrugged as if confused over the whole thing himself.

"In any case we should focus on the mission at hand, why because we're here" Shino reminded suddenly as they stopped at the steep cliff edge of the bug habitat so they all focused chakra into their feet and began walking down the cliff.

Until they were safely on the ground once more "O..Okay now that w..we're here w..what's the plan" Hinata stuttered feeling just a tiny bit nervous about this mission now that they had arrived at their mission destination.

Sasuke who was standing nearest to her gave her a small reassuring smile before spreading out his senses and even went so far as to activate his sharingan "First we'll split in to three groups" the Aburame Patriarch said suddenly.

Before he could see if there was anyone else in the habitat "I'll take the girls so Hinata-chan, Sakura-san with me please" the raven haired kunoichi gestured for both younger kunoichi to stand at her side taking probably the best medic with her.

"That leaves us then so I'll go with Shino and Kiba, Naruto you should probably go with Aburame-sama" the Uchiha grimaced already not liking this splitting up thing they were doing, especially in a place they knew nothing about besides the two Aburame's with them.

Naruto sighed quietly "Just send your hawk or bat summons in the case of trouble, I'll do the same with my own summons which I finally have" the blonde Uzumaki sulked following after Shibi who had already started heading off.

Sakura felt bad but they had a mission to complete "Naruto's right Sasuke, the first sign of trouble we expect to be told got it" the pinkette eyed Sasuke who nodded eagerly like a good Uchiha should before heading after Kurenai and Hinata.

Leaving the boys alone "Is it just me Uchiha or does Sakura seem a little off" Inuzuka asked once they chose a direction and started walking all on high alert as Sasuke activated his sharingan again to scope out their surroundings, probably why he'd been left with their group actually.

"We're not saying she or you are traitors of course but Kiba is right, why because Sakura has gotten increasingly aggressive towards people I've noticed" the Aburame heir nodded having been wanting to ask but this was the first chance he'd had.

Sasuke sighed much like Naruto had earlier "If Sakura seems aggressive it's because she is, she's been hurt Inuzuka, Aburame, deeply first by the abduction of her parents and the second by Akasuna when he left after we graduated" Sasuke explained.

Using a flat tone of voice, trying his best to repress that particular memory "Her parents were abducted" Kiba gaped in horror, not a one of them had ever known except for probably Yamanaka, Uchiha and Uzumaki of course and the academy sensei.

In response Sasuke nodded grimly "Has she been looking for them, why because I would want to find my parents should that ever happen to me" Shino frowned behind his high coat collar, keeping up with the conversation while at the same time sporadically sending out his kikaichu.

So that they could broaden their search "Of course she's been looking as have everybody else, but every lead has become a dead end" the Uchiha admitted, hoping that someday the missing Haruno's were found and Sakura was reunited with her parents.

"Okay enough of this depressive talk we can think more on it later but we do have a mission to concentrate on" the Inuzuka declared suddenly, taking a whiff of the air to see if he could sniff out foreign shinobi who weren't supposed to be in the bug habitat.

Shino silently agreed "Agreed, for whoever decides to try and steal the Bikochu like my Father said won't be a pushover" the Aburame heir reminded, not realizing just yet that would be for another time as they continued their trek.

Meanwhile with the kunoichi "S..So Sakura-chan I ne..never did thank you fo..for healing me a..after what Neji-nii-san did d..during our match" the pale eyed heiress commented suddenly as if remembering that she owed the girl a thank you of sorts.

Her injuries would have been worse she was sure if Sakura hadn't healed her at that time "No thank you necessary Hinata, I was doing my job, plus Neji was unnecessarily cruel about the whole thing" Sakura waved her hand dismissively.

Keeping her senses spread so they wouldn't be snuck up on "Doing your job, how could it have been your job especially since you were a contestant" Kurenai asked not understanding anything about Sakura Haruno in the least.

"I'm a medic remember, Naruto, Sasuke and I work at the hospital so even if I was a contestant, seeing as there was a seriously injured person before me I had to do my duty to help out regardless" the fuscia haired teen explained.

And the older woman blinked at her in astonishment "You really d..don't care for Neji-nii-san" Hinata inquired hesitantly, having been asked to see if she could figure out why Sakura was so afraid of commitment to a relationship.

"Not in the way he wants me to Hinata" Sakura announced, shaking her head because now Neji had Hinata asking her to be in a relationship with him, which was more annoying because the slighter taller girl was to nice for her to be as aggressive as she usually was about the whole thing.

Hinata pushed her fingers together shyly "N..Neji-nii-san to..told me that y..you couldn't commit t..to a relationship just y..yet w..why is that Sakura-chan" the Hyuga heiress prodded gently being a little more tactful than her cousin.

Sakura sighed "Because Hinata and that's all I'm saying" the rosette intoned in a slightly edgy voice not outright snapping at the poor girl but obviously done being questioned about why she refused to give Neji a chance.

It was because she was scared that anyone she entered a relationship with would be targeted by Orochimaru or worse Kabuto who was obsessed with her to the point of actually trying to abduct her from the village.

Though could she say that and have others besides Naruto, Sasuke, Sasori, Kakashi-sensei and perhaps Minato understand, no because they were just try to assure her that they would be fine and that she didn't have to worry which was worse.

"Looks like it's about dinner time girls, so how about we stop for the day, that way we're not trekking around in the forest in the dead of night" the crimson eyed Jonin suggested, so they quickly made camp and set up protections.

During this time the other two groups had decided to do the same including the lone duo of Naruto and Shibi "Tell me something Naruto-san, you could recognize the different types of poisonous herbs correct, is this one of them" Shibi inquired.

Holding out what looked like an ordinary leaf to Naruto who actually knew better for once "Safe to consume" Naruto grinned, pleased as punch that he was able to recognize what it was and that the man was talking after an hour of utter silence.

Shibi nodded in acceptance and ground it up to put on their dinner that he'd cooked up "Being a Chunin have you sensed anything out of the ordinary, like unknown chakra" the Aburame Patriarch asked once they'd eaten and set up traps to protect them during the night.

Considering it would be to dangerous to continue on "Nothing yet but you'll be the first to know, anyway I'm going to report to Sakura and Sasuke if that's okay to let them know how we're doing" the blonde informed.

Already forming hand signs where he summoned two toads in a plume of smoke, scribbled messages and sent the summons off into the forest to find his teammates, he wasn't the only one who had that idea as Sasuke was currently doing the same thing with his summons, as was Sakura.

That way all three of them knew how each group was doing despite the separation in differing directions as they searched for both foreign nin where they weren't supposed to be and the ever elusive Bikochu beetle to protect it from poachers as they settled down for the night and went to bed.


	26. Chapter 25

The next morning after breakfast the three individual groups packed up and set forth into the forest to continue on with their mission "Ugh this is my achilles heel for sure" Sasuke groaned trying not to offend Shino but trekking through a bug infested forest, especially when some of the insects were poisonous was not his favorite thing to do.

"What I would have thought you'd have gotten use to it from the Chunin Exam" Kiba rolled his eyes at the melodramatic Uchiha, walking forward blindly until he nearly fell into a hole, he would have to if Sasuke had been paying less attention.

Considering the Uchiha grabbed his hand and hoisted him onto his feet once more "Come to think of it, we never ran into each other which is strange, why because I don't remember seeing you until we were all gathered in the Tower" Shino commented.

Sasuke snorted "That's because we made it to the tower on the first day and barricaded ourselves in the room we were assigned, hence the reason I'm not use to well this" the current Uchiha heir explained somewhat lamely.

He was sure Sakura would have gone into more detail but the truth was they had been in danger and so they'd all done their best to get through Training Ground 44 as fast as possible "First day but how that's crazy, though we have no room to speak right Shino" the Inuzuka heir gaped.

Before smirking at his teammate because they'd also made it to the tower the first day or rather night "What possible reason could you have had for wanting to barricade yourselves in a room the entire time, why it seems strange" the Aburame heir frowned yet again.

Noticing how Sasuke seemed reluctant to explain "Orochimaru the Sannin, he was after my sharingan not to mention you remember Yakushi right, well he was after Sakura, tried to take her right out of the village during the coup Orochimaru attempted" Sasuke intoned grimly.

"Is that why Sakura was in a coma, Kurenai-sensei never told us but you mean that bastard who approached us attempted to kidnap her, for what reason as I remember she never even looked at the guy" Kiba very nearly shouted.

Remembering in the nick of time not to be so loud "Quit, why because it actually seemed like she was trying to avoid him" Shino nodded also remembering that moment in which they were approached during the first round the Written Exam.

The Uchiha curled his lip "Can't say for sure but he was obsessed with her, always trying to touch her and stuff like that, was pretty creepy towards Naruto and I as well" the Uchiha shuddered, just glad they didn't have to deal with him at the hospital anymore.

Which was shaping up now that Tsunade was back "Hang on Sasuke, Shino, I think I smell something, it's faded, about a day old I reckon" suddenly the Inuzuka had his nose in the air picking out the different scents.

And determined that there were indeed intruders "I see, Sasuke can you send a message with your hawk summons to my Father, why because it was just as we suspected, they are trying to poach the Bikochu beetle" the Aburame turned to Sasuke who was in possession of an actual summons.

Their kikaichu were to obvious if the enemy was who he and his Father thought they were, bitter enemies at that, remnants of the Kamizuru clan to his mild annoyance and they still had a few days to go before the Bikochu laid it's egg.

Sasuke did as requested, then attached Shino's message to Umo's foot and sent him off to deliver the message to Shibi who wasn't expecting a hawk to land on his shoulder "That's Umo, Sasuke's summon" Naruto recognized the hawk immediately.

"I see and if he's here then that means they found something" Shibi mused, spying the paper tied around the hawks foot which he quickly read, confirming his suspicions, though he did have to wonder at the efficiency of the Chunin on the mission.

Perhaps he should just leave it to them to see how well they would actually do "Should I send a message to Kurenai-sensei, are we going to regroup with them and Sasuke" the blonde Uzumaki questioned, ready to do anything he was commanded to do.

Shibi contemplated for a moment then nodded "Your call Naruto-san if you think that's best to regroup then we should" the Aburame Patriarch deferred to the younger shinobi's judgement as two toad summons were sent in opposite directions with the message to regroup as a whole.

With that they turned and headed in the direction his son had gone which was surprising that Naruto remembered which way the others had gone though he said nothing merely followed after the boy who marched forward determinedly.

Meanwhile since it was taking awhile for the toad summons to reach the group of kunoichi, Kurenai, Sakura and Hinata continued trekking through the forest undeterred "You think those boys have found anything telling yet" Kurenai glanced down to Sakura.

Who wasn't a chatterbox so unless someone spoke to her first Sakura wouldn't talk, like at all "Probably, it's only a matter of time before one or both of them send their summons" Sakura shrugged, getting this feeling they were about to be in way over their heads.

Which put her on higher alert than usual "C..Come to th..think of i..it, y..you have a summons to d..don't you Sakura-chan, though I co..couldn't see what it w..was last night wh..when you summoned it" Hinata commented.

Hoping that Sakura would tell them what type of summons she had "Bats or more accurately hairy-legged vampire bats but don't worry their quite friendly and don't attack allies" the pinkette informed hastily seeing the flash of fear both of her companions sported.

"Good to know Sakura-san but they would need blood at some point so where do you get it from" the crimson eyed kunoichi intoned dryly before questioning the girl about her summons, she was about to get a shock though.

As Sakura gestured to herself "Y..You mean y..you give them y..your own blood" the Hyuga heiress stuttered in horror, going pale and feeling like she was going to be sick at the revelation revealed to her.

Sakura didn't seem to understand what the problem was though "Look I know what your thinking Kurenai-sensei, Hinata, but it's just a few drops, plus they do hunt for prey on their own, the animal variety" Sakura gave a slightly more detailed explanation.

In hopes to put the two kunoichi at ease "Just a few drops huh and how long have you had that particular summons" Kurenai relaxed a little, glad that it wasn't as bad as she thought, though she did wonder where Sakura had come across summons such as that.

"From the time I was ten, Sasori-sensei actually gave the summons scroll to me as a reward for doing well, I even got to spend three weeks in their c….." the rosette smiled brightly only to freeze as she felt a change in the air around her.

Then she was dragging Hinata to the ground, Kurenai having the sense to jump out of the way of the sudden attack "Wh..What's going on" Hinata cried softly as they ran to the safety of a large tree as the onslaught of weapons continued to rain down on them.

"More than likely the intruders we were warned about, they know we're on to them and are trying to take us out" her sensei informed hiding a ways away from them behind a different tree, kunai clutched in her grasp.

At that Hinata steeled her nerves and activated her Byakugan "I..I don't s..see anyone" the pale eyed girl declared after a moment of searching their surroundings and making sure to check in her blind spot to ensure they were truly alone.

Eventually the rain of weapons ended and they were able to leave their hiding places "The enemy probably set this trap prior to our arrival so it's less that they know we're on to them and more that we're getting close to where their hiding themselves" Sakura deduced after a moment.

Why else would they need so many weapons for other than to thwart someone from trekking further in this particular area which could be where they were hiding "Sakura-san isn't this one of Naruto-san's summons" Kurenai distracted her a second later.

Pointing out the toad hopping their way a message scroll in his mouth, Sakura recognized the toad as the same one from last night and crouched down "W..What d..does it say" Hinata questioned once Sakura had read the message.

"Regroup, apparently Kiba found a scent in the other direction that's a day old, but just in case I'm going to leave a clone here to keep watch over this area" the rosette said as she rolled the scroll back up and shoved it into her pouch.

Let Kurenai take the lead as she made a hand sign and left behind a shadow clone to continue patrolling the area for her because she just knew that they had been on the actual right track to finding the intruders and soon they were on their way to group up with the others on the mission

Meeting up with the two individual groups was quite the hassle as it took over an hour to trek the same amount of distance Sasuke, Kiba and Shino had, if she was right that Naruto and the Aburame Patriarch would do the same.

So by the time they actually did regroup it was lunch time "Finally about time you got here" Sasuke scowled at her and got a scowl back along with a roll of jade eyes and he quickly took a large wary step away from her.

"Excuse me but have you seen this place Sasuke, it's not like we could have just snapped our fingers and magically found each other" Sakura snapped, digging through her pack for her food supplies already enough on edge as it was.

She was just getting an overall bad feeling about this mission now which in turn affected her general attitude "Teme you should've known better than to take a crack at Sakura-chan when she's in that kind of mood" Naruto shook his head.

"Was she like that the entire time you three were alone" Shibi raised a brow at the only other Jonin on the mission, still contemplating on if he wanted to leave the mission to the Chunin to evaluate their efficiency, Asuma had said they were budding strategists after all and he wanted to see them in action.

Kurenai shook her head "Perfectly polite and respectful, though we did run into an unexpected trap Sakura-san sensed we were under attack before even I did and pulled Hinata out of the way at the same time" the ravenette explained.

Shibi's brow raised higher at that "Did she indeed" the Aburame Patriarch murmured mostly to himself as they both tuned back in to the conversation the younger members of the mission were having amongst themselves as lunch bubbled over the fire.

Apparently all three Chunin had somehow had time to bring along an assortment of food supplies "Ouch you should be nicer to your teammate Sakura" Kiba teased, just a little surprised because most girls were obsessed with Sasuke.

Then again he had to remember Sakura had never been one of those annoying screechy fan girls like Ino had once been, and Hinata had never been one either, "I'll be nice when this mission is over" Sakura frowned unbelievably tense at the moment.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look over her head then spread out their senses becoming equally as rigid as she was "Th..There's n..no need to worry s..so much is there" Hinata intoned quietly seeing how tense the Chunin were now.

"Yes that's right, why because as soon as the rain comes what the intruder is here for will have all been for naught, especially if we can find it first" Shino nodded not seeing what Naruto, Sasuke or Sakura were so concerned about.

But none of them were willing to elaborate "Alright listen up, from this point on Team Seven is in charge of this mission, how do you want to play this out" the Aburame Patriarch declared suddenly stunning everyone including his son at the sudden decision.

Shibi however noted how each of them straightened, communicating silently to one another "Best option would be to draw the intruders to us, we're going to need a bit more detail, such as who they are" the pinkette informed, turning to Shino.

Who shot his Father a veiled look but relented "Remnants of the Kamizuru clan, they wield insects like us, why you ask would they intrude knowingly, that would be because we're bitter enemies and the Kamizuru clan holds a grudge against the Aburame clan" the Aburame heir said.

Sakura scribbled that tidbit of info down in her notebook "So they hate anyone Aburame basically, you said the scent was a day old right Kiba, but then Sakura and you guys ran into a trap, so which way was the scent going Kiba" the blonde knucklehead questioned of Kiba next.

"Ah yes and the direction…..the same way Kurenai-sensei came from" the Inuzuka heir realized in the next moment as he sniffed the air determining the direction, though he was highly impressed even if he would never admit it.

It was no wonder Team Seven had become Chunin they were just as tactical as the Nara clan were known to be "Okay then how about using the henge jutsu to lure the Kamizuru's out, by becoming Aburame, they'd take the bait and we can lead them here to be dealt with" the Uchiha suggested.

Formulating a plan that both of his teammates agreed upon "I..I don't think I un..understand" the Hyuga heiress admitted, unable to wrap her mind around everything she'd seen and heard over the last day and a half.

"Right..basically in simpler terms Hinata-chan we're going to transform into nondescript members of the Aburame Clan, lure the members of the Kamizuru clan out and lead them here to be dealt with by the current Aburame Clan Head, sound fair enough" Sakura repeated.

Making sure the other girl could quite clearly understand the plan "Gah I don't get it how can you guys just do that, come up with a plan on the spot before we even have a chance to" Kiba burst out loudly and got a hand slapped over his mouth.

Sasuke's sharingan was activated as the bushes rattled and out came a giant centipede, probably lured there by the smell of their lunch "Father" Shino warned a second to late as the centipede lunged interrupting him as they all scattered.

Unfortunately Kiba was a split second to slow, Sakura inwardly apologized knowing that Aburame's hated to see insects harmed but she didn't have time to mess about as she threw one of her sedative coated senbon.

That went straight through the hard shell of the centipede then after prying it's jaw from Kiba's arm delivered a kick to it's side flinging it off into the forest "Kiba hang on it's going to be okay" Kurenai soothed her student who was currently in unbearable agony, from both the pain and poison.

"Ca..Can y..you rem..remove the poison S..Sakura-chan" Hinata stuttered horribly as she glanced to Sakura who was already grinding herbs rapidly with a mortar and pestle, her hands completely steady with no shaking whatsoever.

Off to the side Sasuke was boiling a pot of water that Sakura dumped the herbs she was grinding up in once she was finished then she rolled up her sleeves, focused chakra into her hand and lifted the mixture out of the pot and pressed it to Kiba's arm.

Drawing the poison out slowly "Luckily it didn't have time to really enter his bloodstream, otherwise she would be having to pull that out of him in other places" Sasuke admitted watching intently, ready to make another batch should she actually need it.

But thankfully what was made was enough as he and Naruto went on to heal the bite wound while she actually made the antidote "There see your fine now" Naruto declared once Kiba was made to drink what Sakura had concocted for him.

Cleansing his system of anymore poison "It appears Hokage-sama was right to send you with us, tell me does she know of how skilled you are Sakura-san, perhaps you could ask her to apprentice you" Shibi commented in a questioning tone.

Imagine his surprise when Sakura shook her head "She only knows the three of us are part of the hospital staff not our skills or anything but you know that doesn't sound like a bad idea" the rosette mused stowing away her mortar and pestle and whatever else she used after cleaning it.

Next to her Naruto visibly shuddered "And what have you become scarier than Hokage-sama I don't think so, just getting punched by you without you enhancing it with chakra hurts to the point where it actually feels like you broke a bone" the Uchiha on her team cringed away from her.

Vividly remembering his beating five days prior and he still had bruises that he hadn't been able to completely heal "What….you mean you hit your teammates so hard you break their bones" the Inuzuka gaped in horror at Sakura.

Who gave a little shrug "Just when we're particularly annoying or in the case of Sasuke stupid reckless other than that Sakura-chan usually heals us, anyway we really should move away from this spot before that centipede wakes up" the Uzumaki pointed out.

Prompting them all to pack hastily and get as far out of range as they could "By the way what exactly did you hit that insect with, I thought I saw you throw a senbon but that wouldn't usually knock out an insect of that size" the Aburame Patriarch questioned.

"Y..Yes that's right I s..saw you throw a se..senbon needle to" the Hyuga heiress chimed in not daring to glance back as they hurried further in to the forest owned by her teammates clan and found a better place to set up camp.

Realizing she wasn't going to get out of answering Sakura gave another little shrug as she answered "Dipped in a personal concoction of mine, it was a liquid sedative, I knew better than to kill it so I went with knocking it out" Sakura explained.

Showing off one of her throwing needles that had liquid dripping from it before it was stowed away in its special pouch again "Very intriguing, is that also something he taught you" the Aburame heir inquired.

Doing his best to understand his former classmates turned Chunin "Hell no, Akasuna made her craft antidotes all the time without a recipe once she got use to it, but concocting creepy stuff like that is all her" Sasuke spewed.

Edging away from his teammate who merely rolled her eyes at his melodramatics "Oh please Sasuke it's not like she ever uses it on us, except for Kakashi-sensei that one time" Naruto scoffed as he was suddenly reminded of their bell test.

And Sakura bit her lip to keep from laughing before she cleared her throat settling the two down both of whom shut their mouths "Right you have a plan to enact" Shino remembered, glad that Team Seven was there all of a sudden.

"Precisely now if your going to transform you'll need to study our physique and chakra network, can you do this" Shibi asked when the three Chunin stood and after a short examination Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura transformed into textbook examples of what an Aburame looked like.

Complete with coats that had a high collar to them and sunglasses, their hair matching for once "Our turn I suppose" Kiba grimaced not sure he would do his teammate justice but he could damn sure try and soon he looked nearly identical to the henged forms of Team Seven.

Hinata the last to do so even if it felt weird "Gu..Guess w..we're going now" Hinata stuttered nervously, following after the others as they were led in the direction of earlier to lure out their targets, leaving behind the two Jonin.

"What are you thinking leaving this in their hands Shibi-san, I admit they are more knowledgeable and prepared than I expected but there's no way they'll be able to successfully execute their plan" the crimson eyed Jonin rounded on Shibi who settled in for a long wait, not answering.

Meanwhile the other six members on the mission, five of them disguised as nondescript Aburame, made haste to where the Kamizuru's were possibly hiding themselves and arrived an hour later "Hold on, my clones missing" the pinkette frowned.

Sasuke activated his sharingan "I can't see her with my sharingan do you think she was taken captive or something" the current Uchiha heir lowered his voice, seeing the chakra trail of an unknown shinobi, probably one of the Kamizuru's.

Sakura nodded grimly and gestured for him to take the lead "Shino, Kiba, Hinata prepare yourselves, they'll be expecting us more than likely" the blonde haired Uzumaki whispered to the other three tagging along with them.

Each of them nodded "Got it" the Inuzuka heir saluted, hiding Akamaru in the big overcoat so that he wouldn't be seen right off the bat, after all a ninja was supposed to be sneaky, this way he was adhering to that shinobi principle.

"Un..Understood N..Naruto-kun" the lavender eyed heiress whispered back to her crush unaware that he had his own crush which was on someone else entirely though he didn't quite realize it just yet but it would be soon.

The further in they went the more tense they all became until finally they happened upon the Kamizuru's current hideout "Looks like you were right, a clone is being held hostage" the Aburame heir commented.

Pointing out the tied up Sakura clone being guarded by a dark haired man, Sakura made a hand sign dispelling her clone which caused the man to whip around "Just be careful you guys, leave this one to Hinata and I" Sakura mouthed jumping to the ground.

Being nervously followed "The hell, where did you brats from the Aburame clan come from" the dark haired man yelled loudly already stalking towards them and when he was closer than necessary the both of them turned and ran, him stupidly giving chase.

"Kurobachi what's with all the yelling, oh crap Sis we have a problem, the Aburame are here and they sent a lot of them" a blonde stepped out of the cave they were using to hide in and spotted Naruto and Kiba in their disguises.

Naruto raised his hand and wiggled it before taking off as fast as possible "Fuck U…could have warned me" Kiba growled under his breath as the blonde idiotically followed them like the other one had followed after the girls.

"If I had it would have tipped him off that this was a trap to lure them out" Naruto shot back, chancing a glance back and found the blonde way to close for comfort so he sped up if that was even possible forcing Kiba to do the same.

Meanwhile left behind were Sasuke and Shino who waited patiently for the so called sister to make an appearance when she did it was a couple minutes after the others had gone "Damn you Aburame's, always have to make life for us Kamizuru's difficult don't you" the honey brunette snapped.

Not as stupid as her brothers apparently "I mean after all it's your clan's fault we lost respect in our own village and the clan started dying out, you know since your here I might as well take revenge for that, so just hold still you little brats and I might have mercy and end your lives quickly" the woman ranted crazily to herself.

Before arming herself with a weapon and charging them "That is if you can catch us" Sasuke taunted carefully, ducking under the kunai as it was thrown at him and soon she was chasing after the two of them.

Glad that his plan was working "Can you run ahead, make sure that something is set up to prevent them from escaping once we have them in the designated area" Shino whispered and Sasuke sped up and made it back to the clearing first.

Only to find both males of before knocked out and tied to tree's "A..And just like th..that th..the mission is over" Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as the last remaining Kamizuru was knocked out by Sakura who dropped down on top of the woman and delivered a chop to the back of her neck.

Followed by tying the woman to a separate tree "Well, perhaps you have really earned the right to call yourselves Chunin" Kurenai mused, thinking over all she'd witnessed in the last few hours a lot of it being very surprising.

Team Seven obviously didn't waste any time "Maybe a couple of us could use a little more growing up but we do know how to take missions seriously Kurenai-sensei" the fuscia haired Chunin informed.

Still feeling as if the worst was yet to come "Hey I hope you weren't talking about us Sakura-chan" the blonde knucklehead caught on quickly to who she was calling immature and promptly let out an offended hey in response.

Sasuke shook his head "So anyway what are you going to do with them" the current Uchiha heir glanced to Shibi who had been quiet thus far, after letting them handle and do all the hard work which was slightly annoying.

"Father before that I have a request, if we can find the Bikochu that is, let's let Sakura use it to locate her parents" the Aburame heir interrupted when Shibi was about to inform them of his decision regarding the Kamizuru's.

Ending up shocking everyone including Sakura who opened her mouth and shut it repeatedly not knowing what to say "Son what are you talking about why would Haruno-san need to locate her parents when their back in Leaf" the Aburame Patriarch questioned.

Deciding he could deal with the Kamizuru's after once he found out what his son was talking about "No their not and according to Uchiha they've been missing since Sakura was ten" the Inuzuka heir chimed in.

Hands behind his head "Oh god is that why Akasuna-san was training you" the ruby eyed Jonin gasped completely horrified and feeling more guilty than ever but Sakura shook her head mutely looking like she was about to cry.

"I..Is th..that why y..you don't want to b..be in a relationship w..with anyone" the bluenette inquired gently, glad to have something to tell to her cousin about the girl he wanted to court and marry later on down the road.

But Sakura kept shaking her head "S..Sasori-sensei was training me long before they were abducted and no that's not the reason" Sakura managed to say after several minutes of just being completely stunned.

"Do you have something that carries their scent albeit faded it's still there and the Bikochu beetle will be able to pick up on it no matter how faded" Shibi asked and Sakura gripped something that was in her pouch.

Pulling it out to reveal a scroll "Isn't that….your old house key, or rather theirs" Naruto breathed not having realized Sakura had kept that after all this time, then again who could get rid of something that important certainly not him.

"Then it's decided we search for the Bikochu have it scent that and it will lead you straight to your parents" Shino nodded decisively, guilt lessening by the minute, having felt like he hadn't deserved Sakura's forgiveness when he'd apologized after she woke.

Sakura clutched the scroll tighter in response "Guess we have no choice Shibi" Kurenai smiled lightly just as the three Kamizuru's woke with simultaneous groans, Shibi was in no mood to play around so simply had them sealed in a storage scroll.

With that he turned on his heel already beginning the search for the Bikochu "Aren't you happy Sakura, we finally have a lead that will literally take us straight to your parents" Sasuke asked of his teammate who looked so hopeful that he would do everything in his power to make sure they found the insect.

He wanted her to be with her parents again, "Hinata you should try searching with your Byakugan, you might be able to see the beetle with your eyes after all" Kiba suggested as they trekked after Shibi who left no stone unturned in his search.

"Y..Your right Ki..Kiba-kun" Hinata stuttered softly activating her dojutsu as Sasuke did the same with the sharingan and it was then she gained a small appreciation for the other dojutsu user on the team because between the two of them nothing was left unseen by their eyes.

The search continued well into the evening until they had no choice but to stop in the dwindling sunlight and stomachs growling in hunger protesting to not stopping for dinner sooner, then camp was made, dinner was cooked and eaten and finally they all went to bed.

Only to repeat for the next couple of days the threat of the incoming rain making them search that much harder "L..Look o..over there" the Hyuga heiress pointed finally seeing the elusive insect at long last just as the dark clouds over head began spitting out fat raindrops.

"Leave it to me" the blonde Uzumaki yelled over the crack of thunder already chasing after the insect to catch it with the bug case Shino expertly shoved into his hands and with that they had the Bikochu to everyone's relief.

Especially Sakura's who was on a happy high as the Bikochu laid it's egg "Now we just wait for the rain to stop and once the Bikochu hatches be ready Sakura-san, otherwise this will have all been for naught" the Aburame Patriarch informed.

"I understand Aburame-sama" the pinkette grasped the scroll with the key in her hand ready to move the moment the beetle hatched which wouldn't be for awhile as they took shelter in a cave to wait for the rain to end.

And the entire time she kept her eyes glued to the glass tank "Take it easy Sakura, the Bikochu's not going anywhere" the raven of Team Seven assured, squeezing her hand lightly even as he to glued his gaze onto the still egg.

While Naruto watched the rain trying to tell if or when it would stop but at that point it was impossible "You must have really missed your parents huh Sakura" the Inuzuka heir commented seeing how intensely she was watching the bug tank.

Sakura nodded silently "But there's also no need to strain yourself either Sakura-san" the older kunoichi on the team reminded gently not wanting to come across as overbearing or like she was trying to mother the girl.

"Correct, why because even should this fail there will be another chance in the future" the Aburame heir declared, intending on studying the time frame in which Bikochu mated and laid its egg to narrow down an exact time for them to try again.

Eventually Sakura was unable to keep her eyes open any longer and soon she'd drifted off to sleep with her head on Naruto's shoulder and hours later the rain slowed to a light drizzle, then a sprinkle before altogether stopping.

Shibi gave Sakura a light nudge "Be ready it's hatching" Shibi reminded as the girl shot awake quickly and she scrambled for the scroll that her parents house key was sealed away in, then a moment later a new Bikochu had hatched.

And she promptly set the key on top of the tank all of them watching as the beetle stuck it's nose to the key "And with that it will lead anyone to her parents right" Naruto questioned slightly dubiously, it couldn't be as easy as just having the insect scent the key could it.

He was about to find out as the lid was lifted and the beetle took off in the opposite direction "Perhaps Father we should wait to release it when a proper team has been assembled to follow it" Shino suggested glad that it had worked.

So they hurried after the swiftly disappearing Bikochu and caught it carefully in the tank again that Sakura clutched in her arms guarding it possessively as she practically curled around the insect case to keep it safe and protected.

Why wouldn't she, since it was after all her one ticket to finding her parents after three years and with that they were on their way back to the village, mission objective complete with a little extra on the side.

"Until then Shino what should I do to take care of it, like is there a specific food I'm supposed to give the Bikochu or such" Sakura asked wanting to do her best to ensure this beetle was well looked after until it was the proper time.

Just a little surprised she was asking the Aburame in question turned to look at her then launched into a lecture of sorts, detailing what she would need before ending his lecture asking her after if she managed to retain all he'd told her.

By looking at Sakura who nodded firmly "Of course she did Shino, just look at her, Sakura would probably move heaven and hell just to keep that beetle well and alive" Kiba whispered to his teammate exasperatedly.

Sakura was a serious sort of girl after all "Keep in mind this mission isn't quite over, there could be others who wish to use the Bikochu and if they find out that it's already been used they could attempt to kill it" Kurenai burst their bubbles a second later.

Reminding them that the true danger was now ahead of them with their objectives in hand, the reaction was immediate, Naruto and Sasuke crowded Sakura who if looks could kill everyone would have done been dead by the glare in her eyes alone.

There was no doubt in any of their minds that should someone attempt to take away or harm the Bikochu she would react violently "We won't let anyone hurt the Bikochu Sakura, plus your scary and I doubt anyone would mess with you once they realize how hard you hit" Sasuke said.

Trying to lighten the mood a little bit by making a joke, the glare softened and Sakura gave him a small smile while he and Naruto discreetly fist-bumped "I guess I shouldn't be to surprised, I mean after all she did destroy the ground during her match with Temari" Kiba mused.

"V..Very true Kiba-kun" Hinata nodded as they all continued their trek until they were back at their starting positions, so they carefully climbed the cliff leading out of the bug habitat and were soon on their way down the path back to Leaf.

It was there that the real trouble began as someone jumped out at them, only looking at Sakura "This should be quick then, hand her over and I won't have to harm anyone else, Orochimaru-sama sent me to acquire her for his subordinate" the white haired teen demanded.

Just wanting to accomplish the last request his master would be making of him by completing this mission, Sakura was practically apocalyptic "Unfortunately that is something we cannot do, so if you fight us, you fight all of us" the Aburame Patriarch stepped forward.

Eyeing Sakura and wondering why Orochimaru would be after her "Are you talking about that sick bastard Kabuto Yakushi, he's in league with Orochimaru" the Inuzuka heir choked suddenly remembering what he and Shino had been told.

And here that bastard was trying to abduct her again "Just hand her over, I do not wish to fish, you won't win not against me" the ivory haired teen warned, closing his eyes as he did so, this was not going according to plan obviously.

As the whole lot of them settled into defensive positions leaving him no choice, Sakura was ready when he lunged and after handing the Bikochu over to Sasuke she reared back her fist, fueling it with enough chakra to knock a full grown elephant out and thrust it forward.

The impact was deafening as their enemy went flying back with a loud crunch, surprise in his vivid eyes and pain "Do not expect me to ever go to that bastard of my own free will, if I have to die then so be it" the rosette snapped livid that someone would just expect her to go with them anywhere near Orochimaru or Kabuto.

Her punch must have done more damage than she thought though as the teenager stumbled for a couple of seconds "Such a terrifying little girl, I do believe even Hokage-sama couldn't manage that much force at that age" the crimson eyed kunoichi shuddered lightly.

Seeing how strong Sakura was in that moment than the whole time they'd been on the mission so far "Can't believe you Sakura-chan, holding back all this time, your scary" the blonde of Team Seven bemoaned his fate at being stuck with a scary strong female teammate.

"Just be glad it's not us I guess" the Uchiha scoffed, equally as pale faced as Naruto was as they watched Sakura glare at the guy who was attempting to abduct her again in front of many witnesses this time.

Off to the side Team Eight was dumbfounded at what they were seeing, Sakura, civilian born Sakura was stronger than they were even though they were actually clan children "How is that even possible though" the Aburame heir frowned.

Confused but when he looked to his father the man shook his head not knowing himself "Unreal, this is like a scene straight out of a horror movie" the Inuzuka heir breathed, only to curse as the guy coming after Sakura lunged yet again.

Flicking his hands at her and sending something white flying at her that she effortlessly dodged, which had been ingrained into her very psyche "S..Sasuke-kun y..you should send a m..message" the pale blue haired heiress suggested suddenly.

While Sakura's would be abductor was focused on the girl herself, Sasuke nodded, passed the bug case he was holding over to Naruto and sped through the hand signs to summon his hawk, then gave Umo a message to deliver with speed this time.

He didn't know how long Sakura could actually hold out against one of Orochimaru's men, all of them shuddered as the ground shattered in the next moment and they had to leap further back "DON'T PRAISE THAT BASTARD TO MY FACE" Sakura screamed completely infuriated.

Before becoming eerily calm in the next moment a calculative gleam in her eyes as she watched how her opponent moved "Orochimaru can save you just as he saved me, if you come with me now no one else has to get hurt" the unknown teenager held out his hand.

Expecting her to take it "I don't want to be saved least of all by that psycho so he can go ahead and drop dead for all I care" the pinkette spat rejecting the offer as easy as that even as she gathered chakra in her fingertips.

Ready to finish this before it got to out of hand as the teen across from her shook his head and sighed then sported a determined look on his face as he lunged unprepared for blue chakra strings to suddenly attach themselves to him.

And be completely unprepared as Sakura swung him into the air and back down with a sickening crack "Why" the teenager coughed, realizing he might have been off more than he could chew by going after the girl directly.

"Your really asking me why I refuse to become a traitor to my village, well I'll tell you it's because I love my home and once I'm able to I'm going to bring my parents home to and Leaf is where I'll stay for the rest of my life" Sakura glared getting it all out in the open.

In the nick of time as Sasori and Minato appeared before them "Ah brat I see you have everything under control" Sasori commented, eyeing the destruction of the area they were in as Minato drew a storage seal and the enemy was sealed away in it.

Sakura slumped tiredly to the ground at that giving him a half-hearted smile "May we ask who that was, the message that was sent only requested immediate emergency backup" Minato inquired watching as Sasuke and Naruto helped her back up onto her feet.

"One of Orochimaru's subordinates that was sent after her, luckily he was so focused on Sakura-san that he didn't notice Sasuke-san sending that summons of his to request help" Shibi informed, definitely planning to recommend the Chunin for the Jonin Exams.

When they were ready to take it of course because in spite of it all they were still children, at his answer though Sasori growled low "Come here Sakura I've got you, that bastard can't touch you" the redhead assured as she stood next to him.

And he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder "Thanks Sasori-sensei but you can't protect me all the time you know" the rosette reminded gently as they began their walk back to Leaf undeterred this time even though she still felt as if something else was going to happen.

Maybe she really should give thought to Shibi's words about asking the Hokage to apprentice her "Unfortunately" Sasori grimaced knowing Sakura was right and soon he'd be a sensei to a new batch of idiot genin.

He was just thanking his lucky stars that they weren't going to be the same age as when he first started training the brats who went on to become known as Team Seven "Not to say you aren't formidable Sakura-san, but why didn't you do that when Kabuto tried to kidnap you" Kurenai questioned suddenly.

Keeping on high alert since she didn't know who else would be sent, Sakura went rigid and gnashed her teeth together "If I'd been given half a chance to Kurenai-sensei I would have punted him on his ass" Sakura grumbled.

Not angry at her she was sure but the situation that led to her being stuck in a two month coma "So basically your saying is that even though you tried he managed to best you using underhanded tricks" the former Hokage explained.

And got a nod "And he's still after you" Minato winced, not wishing that kind of situation on anyone especially someone who had been through more than enough in their admittedly short lifetime like Sakura.

"Here Sakura-chan the Bikochu" Naruto suddenly said handing his teammate the bug tank with a beetle of some sort in it, they would probably get an explanation later for now it was imperative they get back to the village without anymore incidents.

Sakura eagerly accepted the tank and curled her arms around it protectively "Just so you know Sakura you are one scary girl" Kiba whistled despite the tension in the girl and earned a small smile in response.

"Of course she's scary and be glad she's not on your team" Sasuke deadpanned, Naruto nodding sagely in agreement even as Sakura rolled her eyes before the three of them shared amused grins in sync without even trying.

Kurenai shook her head with a small smile "T..Then again i..if Sakura-chan w..were on someone else's t..team, th..they would probably b..be the ones Chunin" Hinata chimed in, eyeing Sasuke and wondering what would happen if a byakugan user and a sharingan user had children.

"Very true" Shino commented, giving Sakura an appraising look from behind his sunglasses, she would be the perfect person to refresh any clan and make future children stronger than the generation before.

And two hours later they were home and signing back in to the village Sakura finally released her death grip on the glass tank she was carrying like it was precious cargo "Well seems Mikoto made a valid point you three are danger magnets" Tsunade said when they walked into her office.

Pointing very specifically at Team Seven "But….regardless you completed your mission, used sound judgement when dealing with the unknown and for that I congratulate you, all of you and in turn you have a couple days off" the Hokage finished waving her hand dismissively.

Before anyone could leave a shocking announcement was made "Tsunade-sama please take me on as your apprentice, I want to become stronger, and be able to heal anyone of any injury, please" Sakura requested bowing low, stunning all.


	27. Chapter 26

~Authors Note~

For certain reasons I have decided to change the pairing of this story as I've realized long before this whenever I write C/Sakura pairings they just don't work and I usually switch the pairing to someone else.

Now I understand I've already changed the pairing once but this will be the final time as I have finally settled on Jugo and because I've never written a pairing story with Sakura and Jugo ever, so anyway I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.

End Authors Note~

* * *

Everyone looked at Sakura stunned "Oh" Tsunade managed to say after a long moment had passed, she'd known the girl was gutsy but never this gutsy, then again with Orochimaru's bastard subordinate after her who really knew what Sakura was like on the inside.

Sakura raised her head slowly and burning emerald met wide honey "Please I swear I won't let you down Tsunade-sama" Sakura bowed her head again refusing to back down over this matter especially when peoples lives were at stake, more importantly the people she cared about.

Tsunade sat back in her chair at that before catching sight of Sasori's expression it was of resigned acceptance, as if he'd known this would eventually happen "Very well, I just hope you know what your getting yourself into by becoming my apprentice now everyone but Akasuna out" the blonde relented and sent the others scrambling.

Before she could even ask "She was your apprentice before, though her reasoning is different this time, I knew it was only a matter of time really before Sakura asked" Sasori informed not blind as to the reason the woman had asked him to stay behind while the others had been ordered to leave, so he gave her want she wanted easily.

"Hmm, well if your saying she did it before then she can do it again" Tsunade shrugged, letting Sasori leave and head home, though he was confused at the extra that joined him at the door, the boy who called Sakura a traitor if he wasn't wrong.

Which begged the question "Do you need something boy" the redhead raised a crimson brow at the teenager who nodded "Well what is it" Sasori prodded, there was also a question he had to ask Sakura as well.

Shino cleared his throat "I have a few things for Sakura, why, during our mission we acquired a beetle that will let her track down her parents, the things in this scroll will help her take care of it until a team can be prepared to go searching for them" Shino explained.

Presenting a scroll to the man "Your not just saying that because you feel guilty or anything, because if Sakura gets hurt when it turns out it's a hoax…" Sasori trailed off threateningly letting the teenager think about the implications.

"Of course I feel guilty, I accused her without knowing the facts, but I can one hundred percent guarantee to anyone that the Bikochu is not a hoax, the beetle already has their scent and will track them to the ends of the earth if it has to just so she can be reunited with them" Shino declared.

Standing tall before the former rogue who finally nodded and let him into the house, Sakura popped up from the couch carefully, that bug case still clutched possessively in her arms "Come on Shino, I have a room already picked out for him" Sakura smiled brightly.

Both teenagers disappeared up the stairs at that "You know" Kakashi inquired vaguely as Sasori took a seat on the couch, thankfully Sasori understood what he was hinting at and nodded silently, he would probably be the one to head the team.

Considering he'd been trying to locate Sakura's parents the longest out of all of them "I hope you'll allow me to accompany you Sasori-san because I wish for Sakura-san to truly be happy" Minato requested.

Glancing upwards, heart aching at what the girl had been through, it was all so tragic actually "Thanks I'm sure Sakura will appreciate your kindness Minato" Sasori gave the blonde brats father a half smile as he relaxed.

Whispering reached his ears from the kitchen and he let out a snort of amusement "Apologies Sakura, I thought I'd grabbed everything" Shino with Sakura on his heels said as they came down the stairs, apparently not completely finished setting up a huge bug habitat for the Bikochu.

"It's alright Shino there's no rush to get everything done" Sakura soothed, as the Aburame rushed out the door again and returned fifteen minutes later to finish setting up, with that he bid the others farewell for the night and hurried home.

Just as Naruto and Sasuke called out that dinner was ready, Sakura must have been tired from the mission because immediately after she told everyone goodnight and disappeared up the stairs to go to bed early.

Naruto and Sasuke weren't long in following her leaving the adults the only ones awake "You know I think I'll go talk to Tsunade-sama, let her know about the Bikochu and start having a team put together to find Sakura's parents" Kakashi stood.

Onyx eye narrowed in determination, amusingly enough Minato and Sasori also stood and a few minutes later they were stood before Tsunade "Didn't I just let you leave not but two hours ago" Tsunade scoffed at the sight of Sasori.

"Yes but that was before we knew about something, apparently while off on that mission Sakura acquired a beetle that will let her track her parents, I'd like to head the team" Sasori informed, it would be his last mission before he took on the new genin brats.

Tsunade froze at the admission "Orochimaru was the most likely abductor or it could have been Yakushi seeing as he's been trying to kidnap my student, but I'd like to be a part of the team as well" Kakashi chimed in.

Honey orbs narrowed on the last person that had come "Sakura deserves to be reunited with her parents so I've come to offer my help in retrieving them" Minato said, wondering how this would all go down.

For a moment the woman was quiet "Two others of your choice and Sakura will go on the mission" the busty blonde relented several minutes later knowing better than to leave the girl in question out of the mission to get her parents back.

All three men nodded in understanding "Give her a few days though to rest from the last mission, I don't want Mikoto metaphorically breathing fire at me again" Tsunade scowled, two men grimaced while the last shook his head.

"Well to be fair Sakura-chan is like the daughter she never got to have" Kakashi mused out loud right before Tsunade snapped at them to stop dawdling and get the hell out of her office even Minato left as quickly as he could.

Not wanting to face an even worse temperamental female than Sakura was "Should have been around when she and Fugaku kept trying to get her in an arranged marriage with brat Uchiha" Sasori snorted.

Remembering the hell he'd gone through vividly until Sakura's parents had decided to let their daughter choose who she wanted to be with in the end "Obviously that didn't work out so I assume her parents denied the request" Minato commented.

Earning a nod just as Kakashi stopped, prompting a fellow classmate to do the same "Kakashi I thought you'd be with your students" Asuma said, glancing around but not spying the younger members of Team Seven.

"Their asleep, anyway Sakura managed to bring back a beetle that has her parents scent, Hokage-sama told us to choose two more shinobi besides Sakura to bring on the mission to retrieve them from wherever they are" Kakashi explained.

Asuma opened his mouth then closed it, brow furrowed "Alright count me in, I hate to admit it but that girl kinda has me wrapped around her finger just like Ino does so I'm sure my students will understand if I give them a break while we're gone when is it" Asuma shrugged a moment later.

Easily agreeing not that it had been all the difficult to agree to in the first place "Few days, we're letting Sakura have these next few days off to rest from her last B rank mission and we still have to find one more person" Sasori informed.

The other man nodded in understanding and began walking off when he thought of something "Might want to try Gekkou, though Sakura would never accept anything from him, he owes her a debt and has been trying to figure out something to do to repay her this could be it" Asuma suggested.

Leaving them alone seconds after "Suppose we ought to find Hayate-san then" Minato said leading the way this time, he knew the man's chakra well enough by this point because Hayate had lived with them for a month.

So it didn't take to long to find him, he was sitting with a purple haired woman "Kakashi, Minato, Sasori-san" Hayate jumped up at the sight of them though wondering what they were doing here interrupting his date.

Not that he'd really been broadcasting it as such "Care to join us on a mission to retrieve Sakura's parents, she came away with a beetle that can track them from her recent mission so we're getting together a team to get them back from wherever they are" Minato inquired.

In response the woman still sitting stood "You should go Hayate-kun, remember you wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Haruno-san and the debt you owe her can only be paid in one way, this way by helping to find her parents" Yugao urged.

All for him helping out apparently "Well guess I'm going just tell me the when and where, I'll be there" Hayate chuckled on the other hand taking this serious because a child having their parents abducted was no laughing matter.

"Perfect, three days from now and we don't know where we're going yet, so just meet us at the gates, myself, Minato, Kakashi, you, Asuma and Sakura of course" Sasori announced, relieved that it hadn't to hard to find two extra mission companions.

Making him wonder at all who Sakura had wrapped around her finger besides him "Right, back to the house it is" Kakashi said and soon they were home, vanishing into their bedrooms to get some shut eye, they would be needing all the energy soon after all.

Then three days later after informing Sakura of the mission and watching her run around packing things and listening to Naruto and Sasuke's whining, Sasori with Kakashi, Minato, Asuma, Hayate and Sakura on his heels set forth from the village following after the Bikochu.

"Do you know what you'll be doing when we get them Sakura" Asuma took a chance to ask the girl her plans when they were six miles out, the beetle she'd taken care of for the last three days flying straight in the direction that would lead them into Lightning Country.

Sakura had to think for a few minutes "I just want to get them back for now before any sort of plan is put in place" Sakura grimaced obviously not having thought that far ahead beyond retrieving her parents.

It was all she'd thought about since she was ten really finding them and getting them back before putting an arrow in Orochimaru's heart "Of course and we aren't going home without Mebuki and Kizashi" Sasori assured.

Even if it was the last thing he did, and hours later the Bikochu was re-caught in the small glass tank so that the six of them could stop and eat then rest "One question is why your parents would be abducted in the first place" Hayate questioned suddenly.

Before they all laid down to sleep after setting up all sorts of traps to ensure their protection "Kabuto if I had to guess, he'd probably planned on reuniting me with them if he'd been successful in abducting me to" Sakura shuddered in disgust.

That still didn't mean she was interested in anyone "That's right, Kabuto did say that Orochimaru said he could have you, so your parents were probably taken to get you to go over to their side" Minato snapped his fingers in realization.

"All of that is moot now though seeing as we can track them down by ourselves" Asuma pointed out, just glad that Kabuto hadn't been successful at taking the girl, Sakura smiled then let out a yawn signaling it was bed time.

For the next couple of days they simply trekked along after the Bikochu beetle until they neared Kumogakure "Maybe we should check in let Raikage-sama know we're in the area" Kakashi suggested not wanting to strain the treaty in any capacity.

Not after his students had put in such hard work, of course at the idea Sakura lit up with excitement as she expertly caught the beetle leading her to her parents again "Do I even want to know what her deal is now" Sasori sighed.

Unable to keep up with his former student "Raikage-sama stayed in the house with us while drawing up a treaty, he's pretty fond of her as are some of his shinobi, Cee-san in particular" Minato admitted.

Sasori heaved another sigh this one long suffering before shaking his head "Some genin are pretty fond of her to if I recall the ones who stayed in the house during the exam" Hayate chimed in with a little extra.

His eye twitched in exasperation but they kept on walking until the gates of Kumogakure came within sight and upon one of the guards seeing them or more specifically Sakura, the blonde known as Cee came running towards them.

Onyx eyes filled with relief "It would have been nice to know that you were awake Sakura-san" Cee huffed once he reached the group of Konohagakure shinobi, looking the lone girl over to really assure himself that she was fine.

"You mean Karui-chan didn't tell you or Omoi, I sent them both letters…well next time I'll send you a letter to then but yeah I've been up and about for a couple of months now, it's been like hell though" Sakura frowned then smiled sheepishly at the man.

Who rolled his eyes in mock annoyance "Either way Sakura-san I'm glad your doing well after what happened…speaking of what are you six doing in Lightning" Cee smiled back before asking what had brought them all there to Kumo.

Seeing as they were in the vicinity of the village "Looking for Sakura-chan's parents, that beetle there is capable of tracking their scents, but we thought to drop in and let Raikage-sama know that we were in the area" Kakashi explained.

Cee's gaze snapped to him and the younger man straightened before glancing down to the glass bug tank that had a beetle in it that Sakura clutched possessively "Raikage-sama should be pleased, in fact he might even send Darui and I to help out" Cee commented.

Taking point and leading them to the gates to sign in where afterwards he led the group through Kumo to the tower, Ay didn't make them wait long and less than three minutes after their arrival Kakashi, Minato, Sasori, Asuma, Hayate and Sakura were crowded in his office.

"Brat good to see you awake" Ay greeted, inwardly giving a sigh of relief "But what brings you to my village without forewarning" he jumped straight into asking questions sure the shinobi before him had a reason for not sending word they were coming.

Sakura stood tall before him "Thanks and we weren't sure where we were going to end up, following this little guy who is leading me to my parents" Sakura admitted quietly, nodding to the small bug tank in her arms that had a single beetle in it.

Ay honed in on the way her arms gripped the case protectively and knew that should anyone try anything it would trigger a violent reaction from the brat "And you think their somewhere in my village" Ay asked.

Only to have her shake her head at him "Not exactly but their in Lightning Country, Kakashi thought it would be a good idea to let you know we were in the area, searching around" Minato chimed in helping the meeting along somewhat.

Beady black eyes narrowed "Cee, inform Darui of your new mission, both of you will be going along to retrieve the brats parents from wherever they are understand, make sure you drop back by when you've got them alright brat" Ay barked at the other blonde in the office.

Cee nodded not having to be told twice and hurriedly left to do as told "What really they found a way to track Kid's parents down" Darui asked once he'd been informed of the new mission, Cee nodded and the both of them got to packing.

Where afterwards they met the group from Konoha at the gates "Come on we're wasting daylight" Sasori barked getting antsy about this mission all of a sudden, Sakura eyed him warily and released her Bikochu beetle who immediately took off in the direction of earlier.

Leading them deeper into Lightning territory "Well damn" Asuma grimaced a full day later when they came upon a large cave that didn't give him any good feelings, and if he felt this way so did Sakura but on a much larger scale.

Given the way she was absolutely rigid "Underground hideout of Orochimaru's possibly" Hayate mused, though it did let them know that Orochimaru really had been the culprit to abduct Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno three years ago.

"Not possibly it is one of his places and I can't believe we've been so unaware of it's presence here a day away from our village" Cee scowled furiously knowing better than to go charging in because none of them knew the types of dangers that could be waiting for them.

Sakura worried her lip harshly as she shifted from foot to foot bikochu in the tank again as she waited patiently for someone to come up with a plan "Kid what do you suggest" Darui pinned his gaze on her a second later.

Prompting eyes to widen including hers as she stared at him before everyone else understood why he'd asked her, Sakura had a tactical mind and she could come up with the most bizarre plans that usually turned out successful.

And as if that just hit her Sakura pursed her lips in thought "I could send one of my bats in for scouting and have her recon with us once she see's whats on the inside" the rosette suggested after a couple of minutes.

Kakashi chuckled "Go for it Sakura in the meantime we should probably get away from the entrance" the Copy Ninja ordered, spying a large group of rocks in the distance that they could all hide behind so they weren't seen.

Sakura gave him a half smile bit her thumb flashed through the hand signs and summoned Aimai who was given instructions to scout inside the cave for however deep it went "Leave it to Aimai then" the little bat declared seriously.

Flapping her wings rapidly as she took off and disappeared within the cave so the eight of them sat behind the rocks for an hour until Aimai returned "Aimai saw people conducting terrible experiments on people but the base is mostly empty" Aimai informed.

Causing a shudder to go through the whole group "Can you take us to where you saw the people Aimai, Sakura has a different task to complete" Sasori requested of the bat, smug that he'd chosen the right summons for Sakura.

Immediately Aimai nodded "We'll go with Sakura-san just in case" Cee said not wanting to leave the girl on her own, bad things usually ended up happening to her when she was alone unfortunately.

"Yeah leave her safety to us, plus she's going to need help getting them out of wherever they are" Darui shrugged and so as wary as they all were they began their venture within Orochimaru's base one group had the task of being distraction.

While the second group was tasked with the retrieval of their targets "Just be careful Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Sasori-sensei, Minato-san, Hayate-sensei" Sakura pleaded not wanting anyone to get injured.

This got her hair ruffled then she released the Bikochu again who buzzed past them and led her group in a different direction, down more stairs and around all sorts of corners, through bleak hallways and more stairs than she could count.

Until they must have reached the deepest part of the underground base "Don't move Sakura-san" Cee hissed suddenly in a low whisper, sensing more than a couple of people in this part of the base when all the other floors had been practically empty.

Sakura froze and held perfectly still after catching the Bikochu beetle so nothing happened to it "I know your there, he said you'd be coming Sakura Haruno, so you might as well come out" a distinctively males voice called out a second later.

A quick glance over her shoulder told her that they had no choice but to unveil themselves since the person already knew they were there "Who's the he you mentioned" Darui inquired, keeping his cool in the face of potential danger.

Once the three of them were stood before the teenager they realized with orange hair and red-orange eyes, he had to be about sixteen if he was guessing the teens age, red-orange eyes swiveled to land on him and widened.

Making Darui realize that the teenager had only been expecting Sakura to come this far "It's okay if you don't answer I already have an idea of who it is anyway" Sakura said in the resounding silence when the older teenager said nothing.

"Kabuto Yakushi right, either way it would be in your best interests if you moved out of our way so we can get to the people in that cell" Cee ordered, the worst thing he could have ever done as the teenager changed right before their very eyes.

Then he let out an utterly maniacal laugh and charged Cee gripped Sakura as he leaped to the other side of the room Darui parrying what could have been debilitating blow with his cleaver blade that he'd hastily unhooked from his back and unfolded in the midst of dodging.

He along with Sakura watched in horror as Darui struggled against the unnamed teenager before Sakura had enough "Cee-san get my parents out of here please" Sakura pleaded with the blonde, green eyes flashing with determination.

Cee wanted to order her to stand down but with their current situation the only thing he could do was get Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno out now before the whole underground base collapsed on them so he nodded and snuck along towards the cell.

Where two forms were within staring lifelessly out of the cell and nothing but skin and bones due to malnutrition, meanwhile Sakura took a deep breath and lunged, landing a solid chakra enhanced punch on the unknown assailants head.

Not that it fazed the guy in the least but it distracted him from Darui "Hang in there Kid, we'll be back" Darui promised hating the situation with every fiber of his being as he helped Cee with the older Haruno's.

Leaving Sakura to deal with the guy Kabuto had sent to obstruct her from retrieving her parents "Can I at least get your name or are you to far gone in insanity to answer now" Sakura requested, leaping this way and that to avoid getting hit.

And never more thankful than in that moment that Sasori had drilled evading attacks into her from the time she was five, plus Anko during the exam, her question however made him pause, sanity flashing briefly through his now yellow eyes "Jugo" then he was charging at her again.

Sakura waited until the last second then delivered a chakra enhanced kick to his abdomen which sent him flying backwards an admittedly short distance to her frustration "This isn't you is it Jugo, a crazed maniac who kills people" Sakura tried to appeal to his sane side.

Jugo was to gone at this point and getting angrier by the minute as she continued to evade his attacks, she grit her teeth and tried another tactic as sweat beaded on her forehead while she reached into one of her various pouches.

Drawing out a specially made smoke bomb, just then before she could throw the bomb down to release her knock out gas, Jugo was distracted by the return of Cee and Darui, along with the others of her group.

Immediately he lunged towards Cee who was unprepared, Sakura froze for a moment then upon seeing Aimai synced her chakra up with the bats in the next moment as she pounced on Jugo and let loose an ear piercing shriek that scrambled pretty much everyone's brain.

The teenager she'd been fighting against went down clutching his head, blood trickling from his ears from the assault she'd just done on them losing his hideous transformation she wasted no time in quickly injecting Jugo with her extremely strong sedative.

Before letting out a sigh of relief "Ow those shrieks of yours have gotten worse I swear" Sasori grimaced probably the only one who'd had a chance to withstand the attack on their heads that she had just unleashed on them.

"Any chance you could heal us now" Kakashi requested, shaking his head repeatedly to get rid of the dizzy feeling from having his brain scrambled, apparently Sakura could do more with her bats than any of them had realized except for Sasori anyway.

Sakura nodded and went around healing their heads "Still I'm impressed Sakura-san, Darui-san admitted he was having trouble against him yet you were managing just fine" Hayate commented, eyeing the teenager who was laying face down on the floor.

Courtesy of Sakura "That's only because I was dodging his attacks for the most part, evading is my specialty" Sakura admitted frowning down at Jugo and wondering what would happen to him now that he'd failed in preventing her from getting her parents.

Kakashi must have recognized the look on her face or something because he let out a groan, causing Minato to raise an eyebrow on him before understanding filled him as they watched Sakura bend down and turn one of Orochimaru's experiments over.

"Lets go keep an eye on Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san their not capable of defending themselves yet" Minato suggested as Sakura removed the teenagers shirt, pulling ink from her pouch and began drawing a seal on the enemy's chest.

Though he supposed once she was finished the teenager wouldn't be the enemy any more "Right of course Sakura-chan would want to piss Orochimaru off more than she already has" Kakashi sighed wondering why she simply hadn't killed him.

It was known of her according to Asuma who sat as did Sasori, Cee and Darui while Hayate followed them a couple floors up to where Mebuki and Kizashi were resting and eating their first proper meal in three years.

Kizashi spotted them first, blue eyes still lifeless but coming around "Where's Sakura" he asked, voice cracking from disuse and the three men pointed downwards indicating she was still on the floor they'd been on.

Meanwhile Asuma curious as to why she was helping the teenager couldn't help but ask "So want to tell us why your helping him" Asuma questioned lighting up a cigarette to relax himself seeing as the threat was mostly dealt with.

Sakura barely paused in her work "Because Jugo-san isn't inherently bad I think, before he changed he was pretty polite towards us" Sakura answered carefully, focused on her task to prevent Jugo from rampaging anymore.

Sasori snorted but said nothing while Darui and Cee shared confused looks "Please don't tell me you named him Kid that's just plain weird" Darui groaned at her, Sakura frowned wondering what he was talking about before realizing he didn't know she'd asked Jugo for his name.

"No Jugo is his real name Darui-san, I asked him and he had brief moment of lucidity amid the insanity to tell me I couldn't get anything else out of him" Sakura snorted as Sasori had amusing the redhead.

Cee rubbed his temples as an ache pounded through his skull like a sledgehammer "Could you be less complicated sometime Sakura-san it would be nice" the blonde huffed teasingly at her a moment later once he'd healed his headache.

Emerald orbs rolled upwards at him briefly before she refocused her full attention on Jugo then when she was sure she'd finished the seal that would keep his rampaging in check, warily roused the sixteen year old from his chemically induced sleep.

Jugo came to with a soft groan, his eyes fluttered open slowly and the first thing or person those red-orange irises alighted upon were her "Why did you wake me up you should have left while you could" Jugo questioned fearfully.

Because he didn't want to kill her but when the anger that triggered his rampages didn't come he was suitably confused "You're okay now Jugo-san that seal there is a part of you to control your power now until the day you die" Sakura informed gently.

Gesturing to his chest Jugo looked down in awe before surprising Sakura with a hug "Thank you" he sounded so relieved, unknown to Jugo though when he'd grabbed the pinkette four men had tensed and reached for their weapons.

Only to relax a second later when they understood he was no longer any threat "No problem Jugo-san but uh could you let me down" Sakura squeaked, her face bright red since she was currently squished face first against his naked chest.

He released her like she was on fire equally as embarrassed from his random display of affection it was then he spotted the others waiting by the doorway that led up the stairs "Put these around every inch of the room" Sasori came forward with exploding tags.

When Sakura's attention had focused on him to find out what to do next "Are you planning on blowing this place up" Jugo asked, watching as Sakura did as bid and placed a tag in every corner so that the whole floor would be destroyed.

"Yes its one less base Orochimaru has to use for hiding" Asuma nodded knowing that even if they didn't do this the Raikage would if only to get rid of any trace of the disgusting snake sannin from his country.

Though there were sure to be other bases in Lightning for now this one would no longer be usable ever again "I see probably for the best" Jugo said, following close behind Sakura when they headed up the stairs to the next floor and she repeated her actions.

Until two floors later they met up with the rest of the group "Careful he seems innocent but he's not" Mebuki warned unaware that Jugo was no longer a threat thanks to her daughter who had grown up beautifully.

Sakura paused in completing her task "Here let us, you go greet them" Cee took the stack of tags from her and nudged her towards her parents, Sakura went slowly then when she was in front of them gently threw her arms around their waist's.

And they hugged her back with all the strength they possessed which admittedly wasn't all that much right now "W..We always knew you'd come for us" Mebuki cried softly into her daughters hair and Sakura had to bite back her own tears.

It was difficult for certain but she managed it just barely as she pulled back and gave them both a watery smile "Your sensei there told us that you live in a house with him, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun" Kizashi said in a puzzled tone.

Obviously Kakashi hadn't explained "Yeah uh Fugaku-sama claimed Naruto and I wards of the Uchiha Clan, he didn't adopt us or anything just put us under his protection, sharing a house came about when we moved into the compound" Sakura nodded.

Discretely wiping her eyes trying not to be to overemotional "Don't get all weepy eyed yet Sakura we still have to get out of here and back to Leaf remember" Sasori warned lightly not being to demanding of the girl.

Everyone should have guessed that she'd be near tears when seeing her parents for the first time in over three years "And don't forget this guy" Minato reminded, passing her the tank with the Bikochu so the beetle wasn't forgotten.

Sakura would probably make the beetle the most well taken care of insect and spoiled insect in the world once they got back to the village to his amusement, as Sakura immediately curled her arms around the tank.

Jugo tilted his head to the side in confusion but decided to wait before asking any questions as they went from floor to floor leaving behind exploding tags until they were finally outside the cave again.

His first time outside while being unafraid that his murderous impulses would take control of him which was no longer an issue thanks to Sakura who helped her parents along "Want to do the honors Sakura-san" Hayate inquired.

Feeling Sakura had earned the right after what Orochimaru had done, looking around it was apparent everyone else agreed with him so Sakura focused her chakra and made a single hand sign "Explode" Sakura announced clearly.

Watching in satisfaction as the cave imploded and the entire area caved in as it was blown up "Yeesh you have issues Kid" Darui teased lightly once they'd started walking again just to gain distance from the former Orochimaru base.

Because they certainly didn't want to sleep in the area, Sakura narrowed her eyes on him then stuck her tongue out immaturely "Careful Sakura wouldn't want anyone to catch it would you" Sasori said watching in amusement as she hastily quit sticking her tongue out.

Making everyone laugh "Its a wonder how Kakashi and Akasuna haven't gone insane dealing with you, Naruto and Sasuke day in and day out" Asuma shook his head earning a small glower that wasn't very effective since she knew he was just teasing.

Eventually they felt they'd gotten far enough away so camp was set up and dinner was made it was then Jugo felt comfortable enough asking questions "May I ask why you brought an insect along with you" Jugo asked of Sakura.

Who kept the beetle firmly in her lap while she ate "Yes why Sakura" Kizashi questioned suddenly finding it odd, but he was certain that his daughter had a reason for having the insect on a mission where it didn't belong.

"This little guy here is what allowed me to find you two, he's a special beetle that once he smells something once he can track it anywhere, your scent on the house key for instance that I carried with me in a scroll at all times" Sakura explained.

While answering Jugo at the same time who nodded in understanding, Kizashi however started laughing as did Mebuki "Ingenious, where on earth did you find such an insect" Mebuki asked once her laughter had faded some.

Sakura grimaced "An area taken care of by the Aburame Clan, some people were trying to poach the Bikochu beetle, my teammates and I were sent to prevent that from happening but Shino asked if I could use the beetle myself to track you down" Sakura admitted.

Getting tired given the yawn she just let out then moments later she crawled into her sleeping bag for some shut eye "You were always at the forefront of her mind" Cee informed the older Haruno's who stared down at their daughter with loving gazes.

"Thank you for taking care of her for us Sasori-san, we thank the rest of you as well, we know it couldn't have been easy keeping an eye on her these past few years" Mebuki said managing to tear her gaze away from Sakura.

In order to properly thank those gathered around the fire with them "Not that she's needed much looking after since she has quite the head on her shoulders but no it wasn't easy, her and her teammates tried to drive me insane" Kakashi scoffed.

Having a proper conversation with his kunoichi's parents for the first time since he became her sensei "That's Sakura for you" Kizashi chuckled lightly just glad that she was alright and not a pet to that bastard Kabuto Yakushi.

Who'd come to visit them multiple times telling them all the things he was going to do once their daughter was his, eventually the rest of them laid down to get some rest, one person stayed on watch the whole night though.

And almost around dinner time the next day they made it back to Kumogakure, Ay was surprised then enraged to hear about a base that was used by Orochimaru being in his country but he calmed considerably when the brats civilian parents flinched and nearly passed out.

"Just take them to get treatment at the hospital Cee, brat you go along to help out and you lot can stay however long it takes" Ay ordered, keeping the urge to explode under lock and key until all the Leaf Shinobi and his own shinobi had exited his office.

Only then did he unleash his anger, chakra exploded out of him, shattering the windows into tiny glass shards and in the hall Kizashi and Mebuki cringed "It's okay Mom, Dad, Raikage-sama's not angry at you two, but at Orochimaru" Sakura soothed.

Minato shook his head with a light chuckle "Go on get them the treatment they need, we're just going to check into an inn" Minato nudged her off when she paused torn on what to do now but at his urging followed after Cee.

Carefully and gently guiding her parents along down unfamiliar streets "Kami I know it's only been like four days but it feels like we've been on this mission for weeks" Asuma breathed once the reunited family of three were gone.

Hayate unfortunately agreed with him "Think about how long its felt for Sakura-san" Hayate commented as the six of them found an inn, another unfortunate thing was that there was only three rooms.

Which meant they would all have to share "I'm fine sharing with Sakura-san" Jugo offered, causing mass panic in her two sensei, who outright told him no to his confusion quite vehemently at that, Minato, Asuma and Hayate had a laugh at their expense.

In the end Sasori and Jugo ended up sharing, Hayate and Asuma shared leaving the last room that coincidentally had three beds to Minato, Kakashi and Sakura, a few hours later Sakura came back alone and crawled into bed to get some shut eye.

"So what was the diagnosis for them once they were examined properly" Minato asked the next morning during breakfast, Sakura hadn't slept very well considering the tossing and turning she'd done throughout the night.

But at his question she perked up "As expected they had severe malnutrition, luckily no experimentation's have been done on them but they need a lot of fluids drained intravenously into their bodies in order to be well enough to leave" Sakura informed.

Going into great detail before losing her enthusiasm some as her eyes drooped in tiredness, she nearly fell in her bowl of porridge to if it hadn't been for Jugo lightly shaking her shoulder "Careful that's still hot" Jugo warned gently.

Sakura jerked upright becoming tense before realizing there was no threat "Ease up and relax a bit Sakura-san, they'll be alright" Hayate assured knowing she was just worried about her parents but they didn't need her flying off the handle at people accidentally either.

Causing her to blush and smile at him sheepishly while Jugo got an apologetic one, thankfully he was an understanding sort of fellow but he did keep a closer eye on her than before just in case until she ran off to help take care of her parents at the hospital.

On her way back however for lunch she was caught by Omoi and Karui "Sakura we didn't know you were in Kumo and how come you didn't tell us" Omoi pouted at her, wondering when the girl had got there.

She let out a little laugh "I've just been busy Omoi, helping tend my parents at the hospital, I would have visited if I found the time though" Sakura explained gently knowing the boy was just asking so there was no reason to get upset.

Despite the bags beneath her eyes her parents treatment was going well "Really, you got your parents back how'd that happen" Karui questioned following Sakura to where she was staying because she wanted to talk to the girl more.

The few letters that she'd received wasn't enough really "A beetle called the Bikochu I had it sniff something that had their lingering scent on it and he tracked them all the way to a day away from here, we got back in yesterday and now their being treated at the hospital" Sakura admitted.

Karui and Omoi stayed chatting with her all through lunch monopolizing her attention before walking her back to the hospital "Good grief those two are quite attached if I dared to say" Asuma chuckled.

Prompting Kakashi and Minato to nod "Though I did notice that their other teammate Shunsui wasn't with them" Kakashi pointed out though it wasn't his job to check up on the boy as the lot of them settled in for a long wait

And before they knew it a week had gone by before Kizashi and Mebuki were well enough to travel "May you return safely to your village Kid" Darui waved the only one to see them off as the enlarged group set forth from Kumogakure.

Sakura waved enthusiastically before the lot of them vanished from sight, then she immediately put up her guard so she wasn't caught unaware "Oh my" Mebuki gasped quietly at the changes she saw in her daughter.

Where before she'd been practically the excitable girl they remembered now she was a one hundred percent bonafide shinobi, Kizashi smiled pleased that Sakura took her profession seriously thanks to Sasori and Kakashi mainly.

That's why it was to absolutely no ones surprise she was the first to react when Kabuto Yakushi appeared before them a day later, by jumping in front of her parents "YOU" Kizashi spat only to be herded behind Asuma along with his wife.

As Sakura glared furiously at Kabuto "Pity if you'd have just come with me Sakura I would have returned them to you eventually, not now of course because I'm going to kill them and shame on you Jugo I expected better of you than to join the enemy what would Kimimaro-kun say" Kabuto scolded.

Incensing Sakura further "If You So Much As TOUCH My PARENTS You Bastard I **WILL** KILL YOU" Sakura snarled whipping out her metal bow and quiver of arrows and aiming one at Kabuto and his smile dropped from his face.

Clearly not having expected such rage from her "Why Sakura, why do you resist me so much when I know we'd be happy together working for Orochimaru-sama" Kabuto sighed not understanding at all.

Her eyes narrowed further "Just the thought of working for that bastard makes me sick to my stomach" Sakura scowled at him loosing the first arrow and when it was within range she set off the exploding tag that she'd had tempered into the metal.

It was a whole new batch of arrows that she'd come up with herself, he obviously wasn't expecting the explosion which sent him flying backwards in a charred heap on the ground but she notched another arrow and let it fly.

This arrow did something different as it struck his shoulder just as he sat up, going in about an inch and releasing the deadly poison she'd concocted and filled the arrow with, Kabuto must have felt something off because he quickly ripped it from his shoulder with a pained scream.

"Will she really kill him" Jugo asked of the girls sensei, never having thought she had this kind of side to her, that was probably only because she had no reason to be furious with him like she was at Kabuto.

Kakashi winced but it was Asuma who nodded "Yeah she will have no doubt about that Jugo but in this case that bastard truly deserves it" Asuma grimaced watching as Sakura loosed another arrow, hitting Kabuto in the stomach this time.

And if he wasn't wrong it pierced the teenagers stomach given the widening of onyx eyes and the pained expression and if that wasn't bad enough Sakura made another hand sign, and before Kabuto could remove the new arrow in his body.

He was electrocuted, Kakashi knew he had to stop her at this point so jumped forward and grabbed his student "Stop, do you want them to see this side of you Sakura-chan" Kakashi whispered gently.

Eyeing Mebuki and Kizashi's horrified expressions from how brutal their daughter was being towards another human being even if he was nothing but a scumbag rogue he knew it would weigh on Sakura heavily if they witnessed her killing someone.

Sakura struggled for a moment torn between her urge to get rid of the bastard who was obsessed with her to the point of having her parents kidnapped by Orochimaru and the urge to seek comfort from her parents and wish this nightmare was over with.

In the end she relaxed finally lowering her bow, hardened expression softening until they could see the emotions on her face again "Leave and never show yourself before me again Yakushi, next time I won't show you mercy" Sakura barked at the wounded teenager.

Knowing he'd probably concoct an antidote to her poison now that he had a chance to escape, Kabuto limped off at that, utterly defeated "By the way when the hell did you get new arrows" Sasori grumbled at her in the resounding silence.

Causing her to jump in fright making him curse inwardly at himself for startling her before she finally calmed enough to answer "When I got the new ear dagger, I had like four or five different types of metal arrows custom made" Sakura announced.

"On that note we really should get going" Hayate reminded, just glad that he'd gone mostly unnoticed by Kabuto when the last time Kabuto had seen him was when he and Baki from Suna had nearly killed him if it hadn't been for Sakura coming to the rescue that is.

Next to Sakura now that they were moving again Kizashi looked down at his daughter "Do you remember what kinds you had made and can you show us them" Kizashi requested curious about the metal bow.

That he barely remembered Sasori gifting to her before he and Mebuki had been taken, Sakura lit up brightly at that and pulled six arrows from the quiver on her back "The regular kind, it allows me to channel chakra into it, exploding arrows" Sakura pointed.

Showing off the first two "Interesting" Mebuki hummed softly as they were then shown the poison filled arrows, the arrows that had lightning nature sealed in them, fire nature arrows to, and the last arrows were sealing arrows to seal someones chakra temporarily.

Then to their relief a couple days later they made it back to Konohagakure without further incident, the older Haruno's took in the sight of their home village for the first time in over three years with tears in their eyes.

Daughter stood between them holding their hands and just letting them come to terms with the fact that yes they were home and they would never have to suffer through something so horrendous ever again, she'd make sure of it.

And then it was off to the Hokage's office to report in over their successful retrieval mission "I can tell you two are tired so I'll keep this brief, welcome back, take a week break brat then we'll have our first training session as master and student" Tsunade greeted.

Barking at after the initial statement who nodded in understanding then Tsunade set her eyes on Jugo "Another one of Orochimaru's experiments don't tell me he came after you to" the busty blonde groaned.

Jugo winced "For what it's worth I did apologize once I had regained my sanity but if you'll have me Lady Hokage I'll become a shinobi of this village to prove my sincerity, I would like to see Kimimaro as well" Jugo admitted.

Confessing to wanting to see his friend as an afterthought "Kimimaro, oh you mean the punk that was brought in for attempting to abduct Sakura, unfortunately he's in a medically induced coma at the hospital, I healed him of his disease but he kept trying to return to Orochimaru" Tsunade frowned.

Before realizing who Jugo was talking about "Would you please let me know when he's awake, I can probably talk him out of the desire to return to Lo…Orochimaru, we're friends after all, he'll listen to me" Jugo requested, assuring the woman that Kimimaro would consider his opinion.

After that the lot of them were thrown out of Tsunade's office, him on a six month trial period and soon as Asuma and Hayate split up from them he found himself in front of a house where two boys were waiting.

There was general happiness in the air as a celebratory meal was made then Mebuki, Kizashi and he were assigned rooms and the entire house settled down to get some shut eye after a long couple of weeks out of the village.


	28. Chapter 27

The next morning after breakfast Sakura sat down with the Uchiha Clan Heads and her parents to figure out what the next course of action would be now that Kizashi and Mebuki were back, her parents however wanted to surprise her apparently.

As Kizashi asked the question "Would it be at all possible for Sakura to continue living in that house with her Team" Kizashi requested not wanting to rip his daughter away from her team who clearly adored Sakura.

Fugaku blinked at the other mans straightforwardness then nodded "Of course, in response to that I claim you both as wards of the Uchiha Clan as well which means a house will be prepared for you here in the Compound if you wish it" Fugaku informed.

Taking the initiative in giving the two Haruno's the highest protection he could "Good, we were worried for a moment that we'd have to return to our old house" Mebuki released a sigh of relief in answer.

Beside her Sakura bounced in excitement "Now thanks to Hokage-sama we learned you brought back someone named Jugo, what's he going to do, does he wish for his own place here or is he going to stay in the house with the rest of you" Mikoto giggled before becoming serious.

Sakura frowned "Honestly I think he's probably going to end up staying at the house, Jugo-san wasn't in a good place before and he most likely feels like I'm his safe place right now" Sakura admitted having noticed that Jugo hadn't strayed to far from her side.

Case and point she could even feel him milling about outside the Uchiha main family house, at her confession four pairs of eyes rested on her, Fugaku's gaze didn't stay on her long as he eyed the window spying a bit of orange prompting his lips to quirk up into a small smile.

"Very well he'll stay and once he's finished his trial period Jugo-san will be claimed a ward as well on that note do you need any help moving your belongings from your old house and selling it" Fugaku refocused his attention on the conversation at hand.

Trying not to let the pleased smile that Sakura sent him pull any more smiles out of him "That would be nice I know Kakashi-san and Sasori have offered as did Sakura but a couple more people helping wouldn't hurt" Kizashi grimaced.

Knowing he probably wouldn't be doing anything strenuous courtesy his daughter "We'll send Shisui, he's got the energy of two people so it should do, don't you think" Mikoto suggested and the Haruno's got the sense that the woman was irritated at Shisui for some reason or another.

Not that they dared to ask "Right that's it I believe come on Sakura lets start moving our things" Mebuki cheered eager to put the past behind her which included the old house she'd lived in with her husband and daughter.

Who would no longer be living with them but thanks to Fugaku neither she or Kizashi would be far from Sakura ever again "Got it Mom" Sakura smiled radiantly, before she left however Sakura turned and bowed low at Fugaku and Mikoto who nodded their heads in acceptance.

Then a moment later the Haruno family exited the main family house where they were joined by Jugo who walked as close to Sakura as he could but left her some breathing room as well "Your leaving the compound" Jugo noticed.

As they walked out the gates of the practically empty clan compound and further into the village "My parents are moving into the compound we just have to pack up stuff from the old house" Sakura explained kindly.

Fifteen minutes later they reached her childhood home and she did the honors of unlocking the door, this being only her second visit to the house in all the time her parents had been gone "I guess you really haven't lived here in all the time we've been gone" Kizashi winced.

Seeing the build up of dust among other things "At first I lived in an apartment across the hall from Naruto in a complex for the first two years but this past year I've lived in that house" Sakura confessed quietly.

Resisting the urge to flee, until her gaze met Jugo's who smiled reassuringly "Well suppose we ought to get started then" Mebuki ordered moving swiftly so by the time Shisui joined them the foyer, living room and bathroom had been cleaned thoroughly.

"Yeesh Mebuki-san slow down before you hurt yourself" Shisui just had to open his mouth and say something idiotic as he was known to do, Mebuki paused in wiping the bookshelf then gave him a hair raising glare.

And he shuddered realizing now where Sakura had gotten her glares certainly not from Sasori that was for sure "Really when are you going to learn to think before you speak Shisui-san" Sakura sighed not sure why she'd expected any different of the man.

Immediately Shisui began sulking at her but she continued packing things in boxes and labeling them so they'd be ready to unpack in the appropriate rooms once a house was chosen "That's normal for him I take it" Jugo joined her on the floor.

Helping because he wanted to "Unfortunately and no matter the years that pass he stays that way with the mentality of a child" Sakura rolled her eyes with a snort, though that wasn't to say she hated Shisui and sometimes he could be mature if the situation was dire.

Jugo lifted his gaze to watch the man that had angered Mebuki and had clearly gotten on Sakura's bad side more than once before shrugging "So do you have someone special that you like" he inquired softly.

But everyone heard him including Sakura whose vivid green eyes widened with panic "Er no not at the moment and I'm going to keep it that way for awhile longer" Sakura answered hastily but not unkindly.

It was just a simple question after all and over by the wall where he was still taking past family pictures down Kizashi let out an inward sigh of relief that his baby girl hadn't gotten herself a boyfriend while he and Mebuki were busy stuck in a cell for three years, four days away from Leaf.

Sensing the subject was touchy Jugo wisely didn't bring the topic up again instead found small inane things to talk about that helped pass the hours until the entire house was packed up from the kitchen to the bedroom, bathrooms to living room, dining room and office all of it.

Which meant it was time for a break, Sakura eagerly cooked lunch for her parents Jugo and Shisui who had equally helped "My little girl became a cook while I was gone" Mebuki cried softly hugging on to her daughter again.

Clearly upset that she'd missed such happenings in Sakura's life and Jugo who'd often been sent to keep an eye on the couple was swamped with guilt, he could have released them made sure they got home but instead he'd relied on Kabuto and Kimimaro to keep him sane.

Securing his loyalty that was before Sakura had come along but he still felt guilty about it all "Come now dear Mebuki we have all the time in the world to learn all the things Sakura-chan can do now" Kizashi came to the rescue a moment later.

All smiles for his wife and daughter who had a wet spot on her yukata thanks to her mother "And it's not just me, Naruto and Sasuke can cook to, their the ones who made last nights dinner remember" Sakura smiled brightly.

Mebuki perked at that and Sakura considered it a bullet dodged then she focused her gaze on Jugo who looked mighty guilty about something so to reassure him she squeezed his hand beneath the table his red-orange eyes snapped up to meet her emerald eyes.

Guilt clouded his eyes still so she squeezed his hand again this time more firmly and discreetly shook her head, the guilt lessened then dissipated after a moment "Right we should probably start picking out which house we'd like to move into" Mebuki announced.

Eager to get on with her life and on the way back to the compound Sakura slipped out from between her parents and walked casually along at Jugo's side "Are you okay, I mean you looked pretty guilty back there" Sakura asked wanting to make sure he was alright.

Jugo jolted at the realization she'd been able to read his mind apparently "I just think, what if I'd let them go, during my moments of lucidity, you would have grown up under their kindness and maybe I would have had a chance at peace earlier" Jugo grimaced.

The guilt rearing it's ugly head again as Sakura hissed in response "Orochimaru and Kabuto are two of the foulest people to walk the five great nations Jugo-san they can get almost anyone to do their bidding with the exception of several people who wouldn't fall for their tricks" Sakura reminded.

Feeling bad that someone had suffered so obviously under Orochimaru's thumb "True, they promised me that I would be cured of my rampaging, securing my loyalty but all that happened was that I became their test subject" Jugo sighed.

"Look on the bright side though Jugo-san your free, with real freedom to do what you want now without having to worry about hurting anyone ever again, relish in it and don't let your mind be bogged down by guilt" Sakura clapped him amiably on the shoulder.

Then slid between her parents again to walk amid them happy as a clam "Brat Hyuga was looking for you" Sasori jogged up to them as they entered the compound, Sakura groaned loudly "The girl Hyuga" he rolled his eyes at her melodramatics.

And just as suddenly Sakura quit her bellyaching "What did Hinata need Sasori-sensei and honestly when are you going to get your new students so you can stop pestering us all the time" Sakura shot back after asking her initial question.

Mebuki and Kizashi shared an amused glance with one another at Sasori's indignant expression "Believe me brat I would love to stop pestering you all the time as you put it but the new batch of brats haven't graduated yet" Sasori growled at her.

Sakura grinned cheekily in response "And the girl said something about the other Hyuga wanting to go on an outing with you and her to get you use to him and susceptible to possibly dating him sometime down the road" the redheaded menace that was her sensei explained.

Oh and there went Sakura groaning again "For the love of kami I just don't understand why he won't leave me alone when I've told him no a thousand times" Sakura tugged on her long pink locks in utter frustration over Neji freaking Hyuga.

Even when he'd changed he was still bothering her and it was honestly getting extremely ridiculous "Don't shoot the messenger brat and really would it be so bad at least Hyuga seems to have pulled his head out of his ass" Sasori held up his hands warily.

Then things had to get worse as Neji himself appeared "Ah there you are Sakura-s….." Neji began only to trail off at the older teenager stood suspiciously close to the girl he fancied "Who are you and why are you allowing him to stand so close to you" Neji frowned.

"Hyuga-san this is Jugo, Jugo-san, Neji Hyuga, he came back with us after rescuing my parents" Sakura intoned flatly putting up her emotionless mask again and hoping that by pointedly using Neji's last name he would get the hint that she really wasn't interested.

Jugo feeling like he was being judged took a step back away from Sakura already feeling like he was missing something despite her being less than three feet away from him "You brought back one of Orochimaru's experiments don't you know how dangerous that is" Neji scolded.

Only realizing afterwards that maybe he shouldn't have said anything "Tsunade-sama herself deemed Jugo-san safe given that it's my seal that makes him so, anyway if your here to invite me out please don't waste your breath I'm Not Interested" Sakura informed harshly.

Working herself into a fit most likely, Neji wisely turned on his heel and left without saying anything further, Sakura deflated like a balloon at his departure "We were in the middle of something" Kizashi cleared his throat.

Reminding his daughter that they still had to choose a house in the compound and have it cleaned up "I'll go retrieve Hatake so he can help out like we both promised" Sasori grunted, wondering at how long Neji Hyuga had been hounding Sakura.

Until he remembered that day when he'd been summoned back to evaluate the new members of Akatsuki and had come back to insanity and winced in sympathy for the girl "Are they ready" Kakashi barely looked up when a shadow fell over him.

In the familiar shape of Sasori Akasuna "Picking out a house now so soon no doubt but I thought to inform you ahead of time since you have a habit of being purposefully late" Sasori said, picking at the younger man.

Kakashi raised a silver brow finally tearing his gaze away from the pages of his book "I hate it when Sakura's right, you really do get a kick out of tormenting people don't you" Kakashi scowled not having thought the man would ever do that to him.

Sasori lifted a brow in return a smug little smile settling on his lips that had Kakashi's irritation sky-rocketing for some reason "Maybe Hatake and maybe you shouldn't let me get under your skin so easily" Sasori taunted.

Clearly in some sort of strange mood "Kami your worse than Sakura-chan" Kakashi huffed, finally shutting his book and stowing it on the top shelf of the bookcase, Sasori's smile widened into a smirk.

"The brat did learn from the best after all" Sasori intoned casually as they headed from the shared house Sakura's chakra leading them like a beacon until they came to a stop five houses over and found the Haruno's, plus Jugo, and Shisui helping clean up a house.

Apparently waiting for others to arrive hadn't been on the agenda so the two men simply got to work, there were dark stains here and there that Sakura scrubbed viciously so her parents never saw them and freaked out.

And Shisui wore a grimace on his face the entire time, probably remembering who this house had belonged to before the massacre "I think maybe he could use some cheering up Sakura-san" Jugo whispered to her.

Worried about the man, prompting a wince from Sakura "Your sweet Jugo-san but I can't cheer Shisui-san up from that" Sakura admitted sadly, knowing that he was thinking about his clan's mass execution by the hands of Itachi Uchiha, his best friend.

" _Promise me Jugo-san when your trial period is over and your able to leave on missions and such if you ever encounter a Itachi Uchiha you'll get as far away from him as you can, he's a murderer and he'll kill you without second thought just like he did his clan_ " Sakura whispered.

Giving him a pleading stare Jugo tilted his head in answer, acknowledging her request should it ever happen he'll leave as quickly as humanly possible, this massively relieved her and then by dinner Mebuki and Kizashi were fully moved in to their new house.

Shisui having exhausted himself helping out waved and body flickered home without another word, while Kakashi and Sasori returned to the house leaving Sakura and Jugo to have dinner with the older Haruno's.

Before trudging tiredly home to crawl into their beds once they reached their rooms after a long day and Sakura wanted to scream at something when the next day brought more drama in the form of Hiashi Hyuga.

Who must have heard that her parents were back as she was dragged to their house to have a meeting with him and his nephew, her displaying very little interest in hopes the two Hyuga's would get the hint this time.

"As you can see my nephew would be able to mentally and physically stimulate Sakura-san and birth an entirely new generation of Hyuga that would be stronger than the previous generation if you agreed to a betrothal contract between them" Hiashi explained.

Sipping delicately at some tea that her mother had made him "Does that look like the face of a girl who is interested in your nephew Hyuga-sama" Kizashi raised a brow at the general lack of attention his daughter was paying Neji.

Hiashi obviously didn't care for her opinion at all "Whether she's interested or not is besides the point of the conversation, will you agree to sign the contract so Sakura-san will have no choice in the matter" Hiashi informed.

Sakura's head whipped around to glare at him "EXCUSE ME Hiashi-sama, I respect you yes but I will not allow you to try and take away my free will by forcing your nephew on me" Sakura jumped up from her seat like it was on fire.

Then stormed from her parents house and past a concerned Jugo who followed her all the way to the private training grounds in the Uchiha compound only to start punching the ground and destroying it to get her aggression and frustration out before she accidentally hurt someone.

"As you can see our daughter has a mind of her own Hyuga-sama and we will not be signing any contract today or any other day by anyone who offers, our daughter deserves the right to choose who she wants to be with" Mebuki declared.

Not taking enjoyment out of the situation in the least because this was three times now someone had tried to force them into binding Sakura to someone who she clearly didn't want to be with, twice by this very person in fact "Perhaps you just need time to sit on the offer maybe" Neji chimed in.

Clearly not knowing when to quit "Our answer is no" Kizashi repeated knowing that Sakura didn't need them to make choices for her anymore anyway seeing as she was technically considered an adult now being a shinobi as she was.

"And Neji-san it will remain no, no matter how much time passes" Mebuki informed with that both Hiashi and Neji left their home and subsequently the Uchiha Compound and they both heaved a long suffering sigh at their departure.

Before attempting to go find their daughter, it wasn't very hard honestly what with the ground shaking every few minutes until they arrived at the training field to watch Sakura mauling the earth with her fists.

Jugo off to the side watching her with a wary yet concerned expression on his face "She'll be alright, Sakura-chan just needs to get the anger out of her system" Kizashi assured the teenager who seemed devoted to his daughter.

If there was someone he would want her to be with it would be someone devoted like Jugo was but she'd practically had a mini heart attack when he'd asked her if she liked someone so Sakura being in a relationship was still a long ways off.

Red-orange eyes snapped in his direction "Can I ask why she's so angry, it's not like before but I don't think I care much for her being upset like this" Jugo dared to inquire, unsure if he would really be told anything.

Imagine his surprise when Mebuki answered "Ah Hyuga-sama, Neji-san's Uncle and head of the Hyuga clan basically told Sakura that whether she was interested in his nephew or not was besides the point and if we signed the contract she'd have no choice in the matter" Mebuki admitted.

Focusing on Sakura who looked like she was finally running out of steam as she punched the earth one final time then nodded in satisfaction "Please tell me it's over and Hyuga will stop hounding me finally" Sakura questioned when she spotted her parents and walked over.

Just glad that she was alright now as Mebuki and Kizashi nodded at her question, Jugo sidled up to Sakura, smiling down at her from his taller height right as more news was delivered "Hokage-sama wants you two in the hospital asap" an anbu informed.

Nodding at the teenagers "Your friend must be awake" Sakura guessed, leading Jugo to the hospital, though she wasn't sure what Tsunade wanted her along for seeing as the last time she met Kimimaro face to face she'd delivered him a smack down he'd probably never forget.

Upon reaching the hospital the two of them found Tsunade pacing the lobby "Jugo your positive you'll be able to get through that obnoxious little punk" Tsunade swiveled on her heels when she saw them entering the doors.

He quickly nodded "Yes, he was, is still my friend, he's not a truly bad person just a little to obsessed with Orochimaru I think" Jugo explained letting himself be led along by the older woman, Sakura pacing along at his side looking confused.

A few minutes later they reached a heavily sealed door "For his own safety and others we had to put him in here the door will only open by my chakra" Tsunade said, placing her hand on the seal and injecting her chakra into it.

Bracing herself as she opened his slowly admitting the three of them into the room, Kimimaro was resting on a bed, awake but rigid until he saw Jugo "Were you captured as well" Kimimaro leaped up from his bed.

Sakura reacted on instinct alone as chakra strings attached themselves to Kimimaro stopping him from coming any closer "I'm here by my own free will Kimimaro, Sakura did what Orochimaru promised but never delivered on" Jugo announced.

Taking a seat as Kimimaro was forced back onto the bed and a barrier rose preventing him from getting up again in response Kimimaro narrowed vivid green eyes at Jugo's lack of respectful title for their lord and savior.

"How, she's just a little girl that Kabuto is obsessed with and that's Orochimaru-sama to you Jugo" Kimimaro frowned trying to process what was going on but coming up short because he couldn't see the bigger picture just yet.

Jugo sighed but lifted his shirt over his head prompting an embarrassed squeak from Sakura, when the orange haired teenager looked down he didn't see the seal however and looked to her with panic in his eyes.

So in spite of her embarrassment at remembering being pressed against his bare chest Sakura pressed a chakra coated hand to his skin and the seal appeared "This Kimimaro is a seal that prevents me from going out of control" Jugo smiled.

A little worried when the seal faded again "Don't worry Jugo-san it's still there even if you can't see it" Sakura assured speaking for the first time since they'd entered the sealed hospital room easing his mind greatly.

Before he finally slipped his shirt back on over his head "Question is how long will it last" Kimimaro pinned equally vivid colored eyes on Sakura in the next moment not sure he could trust the girl in the least.

Plus he was still a little sore that she'd managed what no one else had which was injury him "For as long as he wants it to, at some point it will have to be updated but that won't be for many years" Sakura declared.

Kimimaro frowned deeper "Kimimaro, your fixation on Orochimaru is unhealthy, he's blinded you from the real world but I'm asking you to wake up and face reality now so that you can see that he's not the savior you think he is" Jugo frowned as well.

Trying like he'd promised to reason with his friend "And you barely know her yet you offer your loyalty to her, what if she turns out exactly like Orochimaru-sama or even worse than him" Kimimaro pointed out.

Having guessed his friend would be stubborn Jugo straightened "I offer because I can sense what others do not from her, Sakura is kind, her very presence soothes my soul, Kimimaro make a choice either disassociate yourself from Orochimaru or be locked away for the rest of your life" Jugo informed.

Giving his friend an ultimatum, Kimimaro stared at him warily before sighing "I suppose I owe the woman there a life debt for ridding me of my illness when Kabuto had been unable to" the ivory haired teen said slowly.

Chewing on his words for a moment before saying them as he glanced to Tsunade who'd stood by the door and hadn't said a word the entire time since entering the room "Can you behave if I let you out of this room" Tsunade sneered at him.

Obviously not a pleasant to deal with sort of person "As long as I'm allowed to go with Jugo to wherever he is staying" Kimimaro nodded wanting to remain near his only ally in the village right now, though he was distracted as Sakura visibly cringed.

"Probably not a good idea, my teammates and sensei's are liable to well not be nice to you at first due to you attempting to kidnap me" Sakura grimaced looking like she'd bit into a lemon, Jugo let out a laugh at that.

Startling her as she looked at him with wide green eyes it was the first laugh he'd let out since his arrival in Konohagakure "Where am I to stay then" Kimimaro eyed Tsunade again who wore a contemplative expression.

In the end she simply snapped at Sakura "Tell them to get over it, he's staying with you at your house and Sakura tell Akasuna to be at the academy at two tomorrow to meet and greet his genin students" Tsunade barked.

Flinging open the door and stalking off down the hallways "And to think I'll be training with her as her apprentice in about five and a half days" Sakura sighed, she didn't regret asking the woman to take her on though.

Twenty minutes later Sakura was proven right when Kimimaro was rejected "Hokage-sama's orders and you know it's impossible to deny her demands and Sasori-sensei you will meet your new genin team tomorrow at the academy at two" Sakura informed.

When Naruto and Sasuke aimed weapons at the new but unwanted person in their house, they both groaned at the news however while Sasori nodded and went back to reading as Sakura led Kimimaro up the stairs.

He happened to pick an available room closest to Jugo, with that she disappeared into her own room and the lab in her closet to work on a new puppet while still drawing the design for Kankuro's requested puppet.

Her new one was turning out to look like a creature with a very sharp horn, so busy as she was that she didn't near the knock or Jugo calling her name only to get no answer which prompted him to awkwardly enter her room.

Letting her chakra lead him to where she was in a hidden room within her closet and found her in the midst of work, "Sakura-san" Jugo called again only to have a throwing needle thrown at him that he didn't take any offense to as he realized he'd startled her.

"Sorry, yes what do you need Jugo-san" Sakura apologized with a horrified expression but did ask him what he wanted it didn't seem like Jugo was upset from having a weapon tossed at him so she relaxed somewhat.

But she did still feel a little guilty about it, here Jugo seemed to become shy "Would you mind if I sat in here with you, Kimimaro's not up to socializing and the others have left the house" Jugo requested quietly.

Sakura's expression softened "Hang on let me grab another chair for you to sit in and maybe you could give me a few opinions" the pinkette shrugged a second later, unable to deny him his request apparently.

It was as she was going around Jugo to fetch the second chair that he accidentally stepped on her foot which caused her to let out a yelp and send them both crashing to the floor "I'm sorry" Jugo apologized with her face mere inches away from his own.

And bright red "No worries it was an accident" Sakura blushed, feeling a feeling she'd never felt before, then she attempted to get herself off of him which didn't work out so well considering the place they'd fallen was half in her special room and half out of it into the closet.

Meaning there was limited space to move around "Need some help" Kimimaro commented having heard the commotion only to see his friend in a compromising position, Sakura's head snapped up before she gave him an uncomfortable look.

"Please" Sakura said knowing she wouldn't be able to get up on her own without hurting herself or heaven forbid Jugo in the process thankfully with Kimimaro's help she was up on her feet again and helping Jugo to his feet in the next moment.

The two teenagers watched her vanish from her room in the next moment "I accidentally stepped on her foot, when she jumped backwards it tripped the both of us and I unthinkingly grabbed her so she fell on me while I fell backwards" Jugo explained.

When he got an eyebrow raised at him "So what were you doing in her room" Kimimaro questioned suspiciously as he looked into the room that was hidden within the girls closet and it looked like a lab full of experimental equipment.

Jugo flushed and let out a cough "Nothing indecent Kimimaro and technically I'm not in her room, but in a room that's attached to her room, she was working on that puppet there" Jugo assured, nodding at the half finished wooden creation.

A second later Sakura returned with a couple of extra chairs to stow away in her lab "Quite the laboratory you have here, run any experiments lately" Kimimaro commented wanting to see how she'd react to the accusation.

Viridian orbs blinked at him "Oh uh yes actually over there in the corner I was experimenting with herbs to come up with a new complex poison but that was weeks ago and I finished it already so since then no" Sakura smiled.

Before frowning, Kabuto already knew how to craft the antidote to that poison which meant she would have to make an entirely new one "The poison arrows, you know Kabuto's just going to figure out an antidote for it" Jugo breathed in realization.

Sakura pursed her lips "Yes I know Jugo-san for now though I want to finish that puppet" Sakura informed setting down the chairs seeing as neither were leaving and took her seat again, adopting an expression of concentration.

As she fiddled with the wooden mass before her and she stayed that way for the next hour, Kimimaro and Jugo simply watching her until "Alright you hunk of wood it's about time you actually went together like I drew" Sakura scowled.

Picking up her creation, it was small in size, preferring littler puppets to the larger ones that most puppeteers used and attached chakra threads to the puppet only to have it fall apart "What happened" Jugo frowned seeing her frustration.

"I'm not entirely sure to be honest, maybe the design I drew simply won't work" Sakura sighed gathering the puppet parts and dropping them on her desk, snatching the notebook with the puppets design from the corner.

Then the three of them left her lab and her room all together, her searching until she found who she wanted "Sasori-sensei can you tell me if this design will work at all or if I need to redraw it" Sakura thrust her notebook at the crimson haired man.

Sasori raised his gaze from his book, snorted inwardly at the two stood behind Sakura then glanced down "Redraw it brat, it's a nice idea but it won't work the way you have it drawn now would just cause it continually to fall apart" Sasori informed immediately.

Having suspected as much Sakura flopped down in her chair and started drawing furiously by the time she was finished it was lunch so she put her notebook down and disappeared into the kitchen to cook the afternoon meal before Naruto or Sasuke could.

Both of whom liked to monopolize the kitchen nowadays when she was done everyone had returned to the house "Darn it I wanted to cook lunch today I had a really cool recipe I wanted to try out to" Naruto sulked.

"Are you complaining Naruto be glad you get anything at all" Kakashi rolled his eyes at his students melodramatics and he caught Sakura doing the same across the table in between the two newest members of the house.

He had to admit to having some doubt about Kimimaro mostly while Jugo had proven himself somewhat on the way back home "Don't pick on the Dobe, Kakashi, that's my job" Sasuke chimed in wondering when the man would be telling Sakura of their plans.

Minato bit his lip to keep from laughing, then his gaze met Kakashi's "Sakura-san, we have some news to tell you" Minato cleared his throat suddenly deciding to be the one who told Sakura of what the four of them would be doing.

Sakura paused in the middle of giggling and focused her entire attention on him "News Minato-san come to think of it where did you four go without telling me earlier" Sakura questioned.

Getting the feeling that she was about to be shocked "To meet with Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san we all agreed that the three of you need to be trained, you by Tsunade-sama, Naruto by myself and Jiraiya-sama and Sasuke by Kakashi-kun" Minato explained.

As she was opening her mouth he held up his hand indicating he wasn't finished "The five of us will be leaving the village for two and a half years" Minato announced, watching her expression warily.

Jade eyes filled with fear and worry met his ocean colored ones "Of course it's not like we're being completely cut off from one another Sakura-chan, we can write to one another every day" Naruto burst out in a panic as tears gathered on her lashes and trickled down her cheeks.

She was showing them her emotions instead of hiding them away like usual "So don't cry alright" Sasuke grimaced hating her tears more than anything it was the first time since the day they graduated that he'd seen her cry actually.

The girl gave a start and pressed a hand to her cheek to feel wetness "Didn't even realize I was crying….promise me you'll all be careful out there, especially you two Naruto, Sasuke, listen to Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama and Minato-san when they tell you to do something do it without question" Sakura narrowed her eyes on the boys.

Both of them gulped and nodded then quietly resumed eating their lunch "When are you leaving" Sasori asked at the table with them and silently getting a kick out of how Sakura still terrified her teammates out of stupidity.

His question was mostly directed at Kakashi "Five days from now at the end of our break" Kakashi eventually relented and gave the time frame in which they'd be leaving, Sakura nodded solemnly in understanding.

If they were going to take Naruto and Sasuke out training it was better to go sooner rather than later, and as soon as lunch was done being devoured Sakura vanished in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms clearly wanting to be alone.

"Good job leaving me with the temperamental brat of the lot" Sasori scoffed, knowing he wouldn't be around all the much what with having new students to focus his attention on now, Minato looked genuinely guilty while Kakashi simply rolled his eyes.

Three hours later Jugo decided to go find Sakura who obviously wasn't in the house, Kimimaro was a silent tag along as they left the compound behind even in his search for the pinkette, her chakra led Jugo like a beacon straight to her.

To where she was sitting at the highest point in the village atop the Second Hokage's head staring out over her village "Are you still upset" Jugo asked gently as he settled himself at her side as she mindlessly stroked a cat who had claimed her lap for the time being.

With nothing else left to do Kimimaro also sat sandwiching her between the two of them jolting Sakura into awareness "How can I not be, but I know I can't stop them from going either, they need the training as much as I do" Sakura sighed.

Glancing down into her lap obviously only now noticing the creature that was in it "I'm not sure I quite understand why your so upset by the news of their leaving anyway" Kimimaro commented still trying to wrap his head around not declaring fealty to Orochimaru anymore.

"Naruto's one of my best friends, we've been through a lot together, then Sasuke joined our little group and we became a trio of inseparable friends, two and a half years will be the longest we've ever gone without seeing each other" Sakura explained.

Kimimaro should have guessed he'd get a complicated answer like that "Your afraid for them" Jugo realized suddenly that guilt reared its ugly head again as he realized why she would be so fearful of their leaving.

Sakura grimaced "Those two are reckless morons and just charge straight in without even thinking sometimes it's why I warned you about Itachi Uchiha, it was because of him that Sasuke ended up in the hospital for two months while I was in a coma thanks to Yakushi" she admitted.

"And let me guess it was all Sasuke-san's fault" Kimimaro guessed, Sakura curled her lip in response indicating that yes it had been Sasuke's fault, if he hadn't of run off like an idiot he wouldn't have even been hurt in the first place.

Which would have prevented the ass-whooping she'd given him "Is it because of Kabuto that you fear becoming attached to someone like you are those five" Jugo asked carefully knowing that the subject was very touchy.

Case and point Sakura sent him a panicked look before sighing "Never know when the bastard will attempt to kidnap more people I care about so what's the point of falling in love if they'll just be targeted" Sakura relented.

Unaware that a certain unrelenting Hyuga was eavesdropping on her conversation "So that's why you refuse to give me a chance, you know Sakura-san you should have just said you were worried, I'm more than strong enough to protect myself" Neji chimed in.

She whipped around wrath incarnate "That is so not the point Hyuga-san I'm not interested in you either way regardless of what I just said" Sakura glared, really tired of his crap at this point that if she had to punch him in order to get him to leave her alone she'd gladly do it.

"Why are you fighting me so much, we could be a good couple I know it, both of us strong, intellectually capable and think of our children they'd be something that the elders could only dream about" Neji frowned.

Sakura gave a weary sigh "Go away Neji, just go away" Sakura waved her hand dismissively as she resettled herself between Kimimaro and Jugo taking comfort in their silence, ignoring Neji further by refusing to let him get under her skin anymore.

Eventually he did leave to her relief and the three unlikely people sat there over looking Konohagakure for another two hours before returning to the house for dinner, Sakura chattered with her teammates then disappeared again this time to her room to go to bed.

And the next day Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Minato started packing and at two Sasori left to meet his genin, then before everyone knew it their break was over and Sakura, Kimimaro and Jugo were seeing the four aforementioned off on their two and a half year training trip.

Not that Sakura had long to really agonize over their absence as Tsunade tracked her down and dragged her off for some training of her own as the woman's apprentice and she returned to the house covered in cuts and bruises from the harsh training session.


	29. Chapter 28

Three months later Sakura had practically resigned herself to being left alone with Kimimaro and Jugo for her only company with the odd appearance of Sasori who was busy with his new students ninety percent of the time nowadays.

That day was no different as she wandered into the house bruised and battered thanks to Tsunade "Again Lady Tsunade really needs to ease up on you Sakura-san" Kimimaro sighed, before disappearing up the stairs.

Sakura huffed after him while Jugo did the most fretting by tending her cuts with surprising delicacy "You'd make a great medic Jugo" Sakura noted, she could have healed them herself sure but Tsunade would just give her more the next time they trained.

Jugo flashed her a patient smile "For being a medic yourself you can be quite stubborn towards someone else treating you" Jugo said, taking the petri dish that Kimimaro handed to him as he returned from upstairs.

And rubbing some ointment on Sakura's arms followed by wrapping them "Can't help it, I'm not the one who usually gets injured regularly like this, that was Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei if you can believe it" Sakura sulked.

Kimimaro shook his head with a snort "You know from our fight I get the feeling you really hate Lo…Orochimaru and Kabuto but seem to like pissing them off at the same time" Kimimaro commented having to cut himself off from calling Orochimaru by that damn respectful title.

Being out from under the man had really opened his eyes to the real word and thanks to Sakura he and Jugo now had a chance to experience true freedom and happiness "Hmm I suppose you make a good point Kimimaro" Sakura nodded in answer.

After thinking about the statement before deciding it was true it was probably a bad habit that had rubbed off on her from Sasori if she thought about it "What are you getting at Kimimaro" Jugo saw beneath the comment though with narrowed red-orange eyes.

"Orochimaru promised a lot of people that he would save them but in the end he only enslaved them, I was thinking we could rescue the ones truly deserving of that freedom" Kimimaro explained.

Eyeing Sakura who had straightened "First lets get through our trial period Kimimaro before we think about liberating people from underneath Orochimaru" Jugo suggested not sure he wanted a pissed off Sannin after him and he wasn't talking about the Snake Sannin but the Slug Sannin.

Fortunately Sakura seemed to be in agreement with him to "Yeah I don't want Shishou getting mad at me for suggesting something like that to her face when I'm still inexperienced dealing with her" Sakura shuddered.

Later on she crawled into her bed to get some sleep as Jugo and Kimimaro did the same, midway through the night however Sakura got the sense that she was being watched so slowly opened her eyes to peer blearily around her room.

It took a good couple of minutes before her eyes adjusted to the darkness and it was only then that she saw him sitting backwards in the chair at her writing desk just staring at her, he had long unruly dark hair but what was most notable about the guy was his piercing red pinwheel eyes.

She did the only real proper thing to do in such a situation by screaming loud enough to wake the dead with her shrieks, immediately he was up off the chair slamming a hand over her mouth "Quiet I'm not going to hurt you" he hissed.

Doors flinging open snapped her out of her frozen state and Sakura took a swing at the perpetrator in her house right as her own door flew open and slammed into the wall the obvious Uchiha male went sailing across her room to hit the wall with a thud.

Followed by her being engulfed in warm arms "I told you I wasn't going to hurt you" the man stood rubbing his back then pinned his pinwheel red eyes on her again, Sakura took a large step back making Jugo and Kimimaro do the same.

"Hahaha you think I'd really believe you, who the hell are you and what the hell were you doing in my ROOM" Sakura laughed still very afraid for her life as the unknown Uchiha strolled forward, hands held up in the universal I'm harmless gesture.

Face a mask of confusion "Does the academy not teach you about historical figures and how I came to be in this room is a matter of coincidence, why I'm here I can not tell you exactly as I have no idea where I am at the moment" the man admitted with a frown.

In response Sakura swept her gaze over him again now that she could see him better and nearly fainted at the realization of who he was "Madara, your Madara Uchiha" Sakura whispered going as pale as a ghost.

Madara as they knew who he was now nodded "Yes, there was another Uchiha with me a bit ago, but he left the room to see if he could find someone who was awake to speak with" Madara informed.

Seeing that the girl was near hyperventilation he deliberately took several steps back "Sakura if this man is really Madara Uchiha then why is he not attempting to kill us as the history books detail you went rogue and had to be killed by the first Hokage" Kimimaro spoke up suddenly.

"I do wonder that myself but for some reason I feel no urges to murder you or anyone, my mind is at peace" Madara said undeniably sane as he deactivated his sharingan and stood there allowing Sakura to calm down further.

He really didn't want her passing out on him, she was just opening her mouth to say something when a manly shout echoed in their ears loud enough to be heard from five houses over, Sakura was gone in a flutter of purple blossoms "You should probably follow us" Jugo sighed.

Hurrying after Sakura and by the time the three of them actually caught up with her, more than Sakura was at her parents house, Mebuki and Kizashi shuffled behind Shisui while Fugaku, Mikoto and Izumi who mostly kept to herself was there.

Surrounding the other Uchiha who had also come back like Madara had "What's going on here" Fugaku demanded to know seeing the elder Uchiha, his gaze was mostly focused on Sakura who looked like she didn't know what to do for once.

"We're not sure Fugaku-sama, I woke up and he was there in my room" Sakura nodded at Madara who tilted his head in acknowledgement, bloody red eyes glanced in his direction for a brief second then resettled on Sakura.

Before his gaze softened upon realizing she was telling the truth "I was there to for a moment what I didn't expect was to get knocked on my ass and why are non Uchiha even allowed in the Compound" the Uchiha on the ground stood confused about what was going on himself.

Fugaku and Sakura sighed in sync "Sakura-chan's protective over her parents Great Uncle Kagami and as for why their here it's because we are all that remains of the Uchiha clan barring three others who are not here amongst us right now and Fugaku-sama claimed them wards" Shisui chimed in.

Recognizing the person before him thanks to countless photographs he had of the man, at the admission Mikoto flinched, Fugaku closed his eyes, Izumi bit her lip harshly to stop any tears from falling, and Sakura lowered her head.

While Madara and Kagami looked like their eyes were about to bulge out of their eye sockets, "May I ask why you claimed them as wards" Kagami requested not sure if he would like what he'd be told next.

The little girl who'd punted him on his ass went stony faced in answer "Because as long as Kizashi-san and Mebuki-san are in this compound they'll be protected by Anbu who watch and ensure our safety twenty four seven" Mikoto announced.

"Some anbu, if they were truly watching as you think, why aren't they here now dealing with this situation" Madara pointed out lightly unable to sense anyone's chakra besides the ones all gathered in the street.

Only wanting to take back his words immediately after when in a plume of smoke "Who says we're not watching Uchiha" a purple haired woman hissed once the white cloud had dissipated, having heard the entire conversation thus far.

Taking up a protective stance in front of Sakura as she did so the girl had a little more cover "I stand corrected then, they are watching" Madara relented to the truth displayed before his very eyes.

In the next moment Anko turned on Sakura "Don't Anko-sempai none of this is my fault" Sakura snipped out before the woman could lay into her, Anko glared more intensely at that denied having someone to blame for this whole thing.

"Bleeding hell Pinky could you be less of a fucking danger magnet though, I swear you get in worse trouble than your idiotic teammates" Anko snapped at her prompting Sakura to throw her hands in the air and glare right back.

Equally as furious "Right sure whatever Anko-sempai" Sakura curled her lip not happy that she was being blamed for this somehow in someway "I'm going back to bed" she said after a moment then stalked off back to her shared house.

Jugo and Kimimaro followed after her wearily "Way to go Anko, blame the kid who adores the lot of us and run her off in a fury because you can't keep your mouth shut" Shisui scowled at the purple haired interrogator.

Anko's expression soured in response "You two stay put with that brat for the night and so help me if you do anything I'll have you thrown in a cell" Anko snarled at the two returned then was gone in another plume of smoke.

Leaving Kagami and Madara to trek back to the house they'd found themselves in and settle on the couches until Sakura came down a few hours later to make breakfast "Sakura are you still upset by what your superior at T&I said" Jugo questioned.

Upon seeing her tight expression "Upset doesn't even begin to explain how I feel at the moment Jugo" Sakura admitted a little stiff towards him but he supposed he couldn't blame her after she was blamed for the two Uchiha coming back.

In fact it wouldn't surprise him any if she gave the woman the cold shoulder for a couple of weeks, like she was still religiously ignoring Neji any time he came around, sure Sakura was perfectly polite to Hinata but Neji was a no go.

Halfway through breakfast the one person who was certifiably able to get Sakura to open up again walked into the house "Brats I'm ba…." Sasori called out entering the kitchen only to pause at the two unknowns sitting at the dining table.

For a moment it looked like he was torn before ultimately deciding on something by sitting down "I'm back now who are you two, you look like Uchiha's but I don't know either of you" Sasori reiterated.

Casting an inquisitive glance at the ebony haired duo "Kagami, we sort of came back last night due to some unforeseen reason" the shorter one greeted, introducing himself with a well known name.

Sasori frowned "Like blonde brats Father then and you" hazel eyes focused on the taller, obviously older Uchiha who reminded him of someone but the memory was out of his reach at the moment.

Until the man said his name "Madara" Madara informed only to find himself caught in chakra strings in the next moment as the redhead flew up out of his seat, Sakura jolted out of her haze and reached out stopping her sensei from further action.

"He's not a threat Sasori-sensei" Sakura assured shocked at how quickly Sasori had moved, it was his first show of temper in three months actually and she didn't like it in the least, at her words Sasori clenched his teeth and tightened the threads around the Uchiha.

Obviously disbelieving of her claim "Like hell I'll believe that, that bastard works for Akatsuki so what are you here for blonde brat and the nine tails or maybe Sakura to induct her into that organization since I left it" Sasori growled.

Madara blinked at him confusedly in response "Akatsuki I'm not sure what your talking about" the elder Uchiha confessed, memory hazy at best due to his unexpected return, Sasori loosened his control over the chakra threads.

Before altogether releasing Madara "You know I'd like to go one morning without drama if that's not to much to ask" Sakura sat down with a huff glaring at the crimson haired former rogue turned double agent, turned Leaf-nin.

Prompting the man to roll his eyes and sit down as well after that breakfast was hurriedly devoured and Sakura vanished from the house as anbu came to escort the two new revivals to speak with the Hokage.

It was a long drawn out meeting with Hashirama's granddaughter and council of village elders before they were finally released getting threats of pain should they step a toe out of line and with that the two hurried back to the Uchiha Compound.

Only to find the house empty so they went in search of the houses occupants and found the four of them on the training field just one of them was training, it was the lone girl and to at least Kagami's horror they found her quite brutal.

Even against a clone of herself "The result of last night, it's the only way Sakura knows how to relieve her stress" Kimimaro said when he saw the two, just glad that her fury wasn't directed at him, that one time had been enough.

"Do you think she'd spar with one of us, we need to know what we can do now that we're back" Kagami asked and as the teenager was about to answer the man from last night arrived and cut Kimimaro off.

By offering himself up "If it pleases you Great Uncle Kagami I'll train with you" Shisui said wanting to prevent Sakura from having to hold herself back against the two newly revived men they didn't know her compassion yet.

Kagami shrugged apparently not caring who he sparred against but Madara was an entirely different matter and before anyone could stop him he was interrupting Sakura "Let us spar" Madara requested of the girl.

Wanting to find out how much stronger she actually was since she'd managed to nail him last night, Sakura eyed him like he was crazy "Well if that's what you want" the pinkette finally relented after a couple of minutes.

And the elder Uchiha hadn't budged an inch nor retracted his request "It is" Madara nodded so they both settled into their fighting stances, not noticing how Sasori watched intensely and to start the spar.

Sakura brought her fist to the ground shattering the earth beneath their feet, her moves were carefully calculated when she made them against her opponent, a jump here to avoid the kunai, a cartwheel backwards to get out range of what could have been a painful kick.

This all made Sasori very proud as the fight progressed neither combatant winning to Madara's apparent frustration as he finally activated his sharingan to help him fight, Sakura grinned "Hidden Mist Jutsu" she flashed through the hand signs gleefully.

Obscuring the Uchiha's vision as she hid all trace of herself in the mist just like Zabuza had taught her "Son of a bitch" Madara cursed when suddenly he was sent flying again ending the spar as the mist dissipated and he could see again.

"Good thing that spar wasn't for real huh Madara-san" Sakura snickered, peridot orbs twinkling with her mirth as she knelt and healed him of his injuries that she'd inflicted upon him before tending herself.

Clearly done with all training now as she flopped back and passed out in her exhaustion "I've got her" Jugo declared, tenderly lifting Sakura into his arms, extremely fond of the rosette, before taking her back to the house everyone following along behind him.

When he came back down the stairs after putting Sakura in her room Jugo settled himself in his favorite chair in the living room where the others were gathered "Tell me something, that girl she was holding back on me wasn't she" Madara questioned almost immediately.

Prompting a snort from Sasori "And you only just now realized it…but yes Sakura was holding back, above everything else Sakura can't hurt people unless they honestly deserve it" Sasori grimaced.

Thinking back to Kabuto Yakushi "What of that jutsu she used, it was practically designed to prevent Madara from using his sharingan against her" Kagami commented having been impressed with Sakura's strategic fighting.

Sasori curled his lips "You can thank a rogue by the name of Zabuza Momochi for teaching her that little trick, however much I dislike the thought of her even associating with the bastard from Mist, he's bound by honor knowing she could kick his ass anytime she wanted" Sasori scoffed.

Beyond irritated over that "Maybe that woman from last night had it right Sakura is a danger magnet" Kimimaro said before glancing over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't behind him right as he said that.

He didn't want to be the next person to upset her "Can I ask why she seems so protective of her parents, their non shinobi correct so she shouldn't have to worry about them being in danger of getting killed or targeted right" Madara questioned next.

Three sets of eyes in varying colors snapped to him, Sasori scowled thunderously but kept his gaze even while Kimimaro was the one to actually look away it was Jugo who answered "Until three months ago they were held by a madman named Orochimaru" Jugo explained.

Kagami choked but any further questions that the two fully returned men wanted to ask were stamped down on and an hour later Sakura came back downstairs, Sasori took note of how she practically wedged herself between Kimimaro and Jugo.

But leaned more on the orange haired teenager than the ivory haired one and just knew right then that she had found someone to focus her attentions on "Right well I have business to take care of brats" Sasori stood then vanished.

Sakura rolled her eyes with a snort but there was this fond little smile playing at the corners of her lips that told everyone she was more amused at the redheads antics than annoyed "You know I can't help but wonder how strong you actually are if you didn't hold back" Kimimaro said.

Equally green eyes focused on him at that "Strong enough I suppose, I don't really have many chances to test my strength against non allies" Sakura stated with a roll of her shoulders, not to sure what she was capable of anymore.

Jugo chuckled lightly in amusement "I never did ask, that technique what was it…the one you unleashed when you knocked me out" Jugo asked in the next moment, having to clarify when she looked confused.

Her eyes widened though "Well it doesn't really have a name but I sync my chakra up with my summons, bat summons and use their high pitched range to scramble someones brain, there's another form of that called the brain scrambler jutsu but that's how I do it" Sakura grimaced.

The only one who didn't cringe away from her was Jugo "Bats" Kagami inquired in a cautious tone of voice not sure if he wanted to truly know what else the girls summons could do if she could scramble someones brain just by syncing her chakra up with the creature.

"Vicious little creatures bats are how can you even stand to have them as your summons" Kimimaro shuddered more than a little freaked out by the news, Sakura rolled her eyes and snorted at him.

Before answering "I stand them because I care for them, and yes while they are considered not of the norm and quite vicious at the very least they respect me as their summoner" Sakura quipped obviously fond of her bats.

"Don't you train under Tsunade as her apprentice, surely the woman will have you sign on with the slug summons Katsuyu won't she" Kagami chimed in remembering that bit about how Sakura was the woman's apprentice.

Sakura grinned "Fortunately I have the skill necessary to summon two different types of creatures thus keeping my bats while being able to use Katsuyu-sama at the same time" the pinkette snickered.

Simply relieved that she would never have to give up her bat summons "Amusing little girl aren't you" Madara snorted, settling on the couch as the living room lapsed into silence until someones stomach growled which meant lunch was soon on its way.

Imagine Madara and Kagami's surprise when the house got visitors in the form of Sakura's parents "Sakura-chan hope you don't mind but Mebuki didn't feel like cooking" Kizashi called from the foyer letting his daughter know they were there.

"That's fine" Sakura hollered back from probably the kitchen given how far away she sounded, the married couple shared an amused look and took off their sandals before heading into the living room, finding that their guess was right when they found it empty.

So headed into the kitchen "Ooh looks good" Mebuki hummed upon seeing that Sakura was cooking quite the spread this afternoon, if there was anything she and Kizashi had learned in the three months following their return it was that Sakura loved showing off her culinary skills.

Her statement earned an indulgent smile and soon lunch was ready to be eaten and it was thoroughly devoured by hungry people, Kizashi and Mebuki felt afterwards, followed by the kitchen being cleaned until the day was done and over with.

And before everyone knew it another three months had come and gone, it was the day Jugo and Kimimaro had been waiting for, the day they received their official Konohagakure hitai-ate's and became Chunin on Tsunade's recommendation.

It's how Sakura got her first mission outside the village in six months, Jugo and Kimimaro her mission partners "The situation with Earth Country" Tsunade began during the mission debriefing when she'd called the trio into her office the following day.

"Has always been precarious what with our shinobi being killed on sight if their ever seen in that country by Iwa-nin, not to mention what they've done to Kiri-nin, however I'd like to rectify this and get the Tsuchikage to agree to another treaty at long last" the busty blonde informed.

Glaring at her apprentice "Anything you want Milady and it will be done" Sakura bowed her head, nearly fourteen years old now and growing up way to fast for her parents to keep up with, everyone else to, to their horror.

Because they'd all obviously expected the girl to remain a little girl forever apparently "Well if Sakura's going then we have no choice but to go too, seeing as we can't just leave this to her" Kimimaro crossed his arms over his chest.

Looking the Hokage in the eyes bravely now that he had nothing to fear from the woman "Precisely, we're not saying you can't handle yourself Sakura, but you need back up from people you trust and right now we fit that stipulation" Jugo assuaged gently.

Seeing Sakura's indignant expression in response to what Kimimaro had said, though he did nod helping calm the rosette down, with that the three of them were dismissed to return home and pack for their mission.

Which would take however long it would take since Tsunade hadn't given them a time limit to complete the mission "You know, I kind of hope some idiot gets in our way just so you can test out your new skills" Kimimaro commented.

Once they were at the house, empty house that was Madara and Kagami visiting with the Clan Heads for whatever reason, and headed up the stairs together "Right, I learned how to use wind natured chakra for a reason" Sakura nodded.

Jugo chuckled softly "Quite and no one will ever expect you having a command over your namesake" Jugo smiled kindly before vanishing into his room, twenty minutes later the three of them were on their way out after leaving note for the remaining occupants of the house.

And soon they were on their way towards Earth Country to settle the score with Iwa-nin at long last and have Iwagakure as allies like they had so long ago "What I can't believe is that it's really only been six-seven months since the last time I was outside a village" Kimimaro said.

As they set up camp hours later "Don't blame you there Kimimaro I've pretty much been in the same boat" Jugo agreed with his friend who was in perfect healthy condition thanks to Tsunade, something Kabuto had never been able to do.

"Hey I haven't been outside in all these months either" Sakura huffed at them reminding the two males that she'd been equally as cooped up as they had, Kimimaro started laughing first prompting Jugo and her to laugh as well.

But it wasn't raucous laughter, it was calm and easily contained after a couple of minutes as they continued to set up traps to ensure their protection during the night, cooked then ate dinner followed by going to bed so they could be ready to face the next day and all it would entail.

Right after breakfast immediately once they'd packed up camp and started walking again, a bunch of bandits surrounded them "Oh no what are we to do we're surrounded" Sakura fake gasped in horror playing on her acting skills a little.

Kimimaro smirked while Jugo chuckled softly "Perhaps if we ask nicely they'll leave" Jugo suggested hopefully, less inclined to fight though he knew Sakura was acting and really wanted to test out her newly acquired skills.

"Not a chance boy so if you want to live past this day you'll hand over all your valuables and the pretty girl you have there" the bandit leader strutted forward making his demands, Jugo sighed realizing that his attempt had failed.

Here Kimimaro laughed outright at their stupidity "Unfortunately you picked the shinobi to try and rob" the ivory haired teen shook his head with a disgusted snort as he took a step back deferring to Sakura.

Who grabbed a scroll from her pouch and unsealed it, dark purple cherry blossoms floated all around them then she started flashing through hand signs "Futon: Sakura Storm" Sakura called out the jutsu she'd created.

And in a swirl of wind, the cherry blossoms whirled around them becoming sharp and deadly, sending the bandits screaming off into the distance after the attack had ended "Fools" Kimimaro rolled his eyes at how quickly they'd run off after one little jutsu.

"Hmmph cowards is more like it Kimimaro" Sakura harrumphed her displeasure as they started walking again undeterred by idiots this time, so they kept trekking along, keeping a wary eye out for any more fools that wanted a chance to best them.

Jugo however had an interesting theory "Perhaps the use of your name is what scared them off Sakura, you are building a rather frightening reputation" Jugo suggested with a smile, Sakura bit her lip to prevent the smile from forming on her face.

Before she cleared her throat and shrugged in answer, and two days later they found themselves in front of Iwagakure "And what would Leaf-nin want with our Tsuchikage" the gate guards growled as soon as they flashed their shinobi I.D's.

Kimimaro and Jugo nudged Sakura forward "On behalf of our Lady Hokage Tsunade-sama we have come to negotiate a peace treaty between Konohagakure and Iwagakure" Sakura declared standing tall and speaking in a clear voice.

The two behind her kept their heads bowed even when they were thoroughly searched for anything suspicious and even then when they were found clean the guards still weren't satisfied but since Sakura wasn't doing anything they remained still.

Until finally after what felt like hours they were escorted by a large party of what had to be Iwa's strongest shinobi to the Tsuchikage "You Leaf brats think I'm simply going to agree to a treaty do ye well guess again as it is I ought to throw you in a cell and have you executed" Ohnoki grumbled.

Once the three of them were stood before him, Sakura had an ace up her sleeve however "Tsuchikage-sama what if we were to prove Tsunade-sama was serious that she isn't trying to trick you in any way" the pinkette inquired kindly.

It was right then that Jugo and Kimimaro realized that Sakura was a damn good actor "Oh and what would little brats like you be able to do, nothing" the Tsuchikage chortled in a disbelieving tone of voice.

Sakura let a saccharine sweet smile form on her lips "If you would give us something to work with Tsuchikage-sama you'd find us capable of more than you think we are" Sakura said meeting his gaze evenly.

Behind the Tsuchikage, the Tsuchikage's son coughed out a laugh "Gutsy aren't you, Father lets, let them have a chance to prove their serious about a peace treaty between our villages" Kitsuchi requested, soft towards young girls since he had his own daughter.

Ohnoki growled and generally threw a tantrum until a crack sounded through the office signaling he'd thrown his back, Sakura visibly cringed in response "Tsuchikage-sama are you alright" Sakura asked with a pained expression on her face now.

Surprising Kitsuchi yet again and when his Father didn't answer panic filled her entire being, she didn't even think about how her action might be taken instead hastily rounded the desk hands glowing a bright green.

Pain in his back steadily going away now Ohnoki managed to speak once more "Perhaps there are some things you can do even though your just a brat from Leaf" Ohnoki grunted obviously not happy but he wasn't going to throw out the person healing his back clearly.

Her expression softened from concentration to kindness "We won't let you down Tsuchikage-sama whatever you ask of us we'll accomplish it" Sakura assured medical chakra fading from her hands as she returned to stand in front of his desk again.

Seeing as it was so late in the day Ohnoki decided that making demands right that minute wasn't the best idea so had the three Chunin escorted to an inn for the night "You sure it's wise" the Tsuchikage asked of his son.

"They seem genuine, plus if the girl had really wanted to she could have taken your life as she was healing you and been gone before I reacted probably but I don't believe that girl is the type to kill indiscriminately" Kitsuchi informed so the rest of the evening passed by with no more interruptions.


	30. Chapter 29

~Authors Note

Everyone I'm sorry for not updating as much, I'm going through some things right now and it's hard for me to write, I will try to update as I can but don't expect a whole lot from me but I do hope you enjoy this chapter.

End Authors Note~

* * *

Bright and early the next morning Sakura, Kimimaro and Jugo were escorted once more to the Tsuchikage's office, he was faced away from them this time as opposed to when they'd first met the fence sitter of Iwagakure.

And it was a couple of moments before he even deigned to address them "It takes considerable compassion to put aside ones own enmity towards their enemies and heal them right in the heart of enemy territory" Ohnoki said slowly.

Chewing on his words so that he got them across to the teenagers behind him appropriately, Kitsuchi the only one to see his expression of reluctance over the matter "Perhaps Tsuchikage-sama" Kimimaro nodded.

Though the man couldn't see him "But if we didn't learn how to, then it would defeat the purpose of our being here" Jugo continued where Kimimaro had left off, knowing the rest that his friend had left unsaid.

Ohnoki slowly turned his chair around to face them after fifteen minutes of facing the opposite direction "Plus Tsunade-sama would probably bash me into the ground if something happened to a leader of a different country enemy right now or not" Sakura deadpanned.

Kitsuchi coughed into his hand and if she wasn't wrong it was more a chuckle than an actual cough indicating he'd found what she'd said funny at the very least, to bad that she was telling the truth unfortunately.

"Why exactly did Tsunade send you three rather than say a shinobi more experienced and of higher rank" Kitsuchi questioned suddenly, he knew for certain though that the lone girl was a medic but it didn't make sense to him to send only Chunin on such a high ranked mission as this.

Sakura's face puckered in response like she'd just sucked on a lemon "Have you ever tried to tell Tsunade-sama no especially when she hand picks you for something, you don't just simply tell her no, you run the risk of getting every single bone in your body broken" the rosette shuddered.

Jugo chuckled lightly "And this is our first mission as Chunin with Sakura, Hokage-sama wished to see how we'd do I'm sure" Jugo admitted, hoping that they were at least given a chance to prove why a treaty between the two enemy countries would be beneficial.

"Let's not forget the fact that Sakura is the Lady Hokage's apprentice" Kimimaro sniffed, laying out the truth plainly and bluntly, all amusement fled the office at that as both the Tsuchikage and his son stared at Sakura.

Who met their gazes silently but evenly "Could have sworn for sure that Tsunade's apprentice was the woman called Shizune Kato, her former lovers niece" Kitsuchi muttered, pondering over the development that had happened in Konohagakure.

"Shizune-sempai has already completed her training under Tsunade-shishou and took me on when I requested it of her just six or so months ago, news of this wouldn't have gotten out yet seeing as this is my first mission in that same time frame" Sakura explained.

Remembering the sole reason as to why she'd asked the woman to take her on in the first place which just fired her up even more as determination blazed brightly in her vivid green irises to see this mission through and completed just as her shishou wanted.

Ohnoki eyed the Chunin for another minute or so before finally deflating "Very well I will give you three this one chance to prove to me why I should consider allying my village with Leaf" the Tsuchikage grumbled.

Clearly unhappy but he owed it to the pinkette for healing him when she could have just left him to suffer yesterday, the teenagers shared relieved looks before bowing "Anything and it will be done to your specifications" Kimimaro assured.

Unable to keep the smirk from his face until he was elbowed lightly by Sakura and his expression morphed into a neutral one "There are several things, the first and foremost being a group of bandits that is terrorizing a village not but a days walk from here" Ohnoki snorted.

"Hmm group of bandits huh, you think it's the same ones we encountered on our way here" Jugo mused down at Sakura who adopted a contemplative look then shrugged not sure really if the bandits were the same or not.

"Could be Jugo but that was two days away across the border, unless when did these bandits start harassing the small village Tsuchikage-sama" Sakura set her gaze on Ohnoki who blinked surprised she was asking in the first place.

It took him a moment of silent floundering before he answered properly "A week ago, for certain reasons Kitsuchi will be accompanying you on the mission that is non-negotiable, his job is to merely observe how you deal with the problem" the Tsuchikage grunted.

With that the Chunin bowed to him again and his son followed them from the office to prepare for their task and less than fifteen minutes later Sakura, Kimimaro and Jugo were stood waiting patiently at the gates for Kitsuchi.

Who thankfully didn't keep them waiting for longer than another ten minutes, the four of them signed out of the village and walked briskly in the direction of their next destination "So, while we walk tell me something about yourselves" Kitsuchi questioned.

Trying to gather information on the foreign shinobi "Sakura Haruno, civilian born, first generation ninja and current Hokage's apprentice, I'm also the student of the former international S Class rogue Sasori Akasuna" Sakura grinned.

Going for shock value apparently as Kitsuchi choked "Kimimaro Kaguya, sole survivor of the Kaguya Clan that was massacred in Water Country several years ago and former devoted servant of the Sannin Orochimaru" Kimimaro informed next.

Arms crossed over his chest "If it hadn't been for Sakura and myself that is, and I'm Jugo, from an unknown clan, I have a special ability that Sakura sealed for me that usually made me lose control to madness and anger and like Kimimaro was under Orochimaru's thumb" Jugo admitted.

Kitsuchi sighed "Well that's a bit more than I expected, if you don't mind I have a few more questions, one Sakura-san how did you become Akasuna's student, two, how did you survive Kimimaro-san and three how did she seal your ability Jugo-san" Kitsuchi inquired curiously.

Sakura shook her head lightly but answered anyway "He came to Leaf when I was five, became a double agent and approached me at the park, took me on and stuff, he wasn't stripped of his former status until seven or so months ago" the pinkette announced.

"As for me, I survived because I was the only one in the clan who had the kekkeigenkai Shikotsumyaku and Orochimaru picked me up I didn't see the truth about him until it was nearly to late" Kimimaro grimaced.

Jugo was last to answer "Fuinjutsu, this seal keeps me from going out of control" the orange haired Chunin explained lifting his shirt to bare his chest before flooding the seal with chakra so it was visible for Kitsuchi to see.

Fortunately it seemed to be the end of the questions for now at least as they continued their trek in the direction of the village being terrorized by bandits, until they decided to stop for lunch a few hours later "Mm seems we may reach the village by tonight" Kitsuchi commented.

Surprised at how fast a pace the Chunin had set and how far they'd actually gotten since initially setting out "Probably Kitsuchi-san, though I doubt we'd be able to do anything right away" Jugo said with a frown.

Next to him Kimimaro nodded "It'll be late, not to mention we'll have to speak with the Village Head, scout the area, find the bandit lair, take care of the bandits and return, I don't suppose you know how long we have to deal with this problem do you" Kimimaro ticked off his fingers.

Before gazing at Kitsuchi "You have as much time as you need whether that's a day or a week as long as you manage to get rid of the bandits" Kitsuchi announced, then as if the two younger males had just realized they set their sights on Sakura.

Emerald met red-orange and vivid green with a flicker of mischief "I'll have my summons scout for us during the night, then once we speak with the village head we can set out to deal with the bandits" Sakura quipped.

"We defer to you Sakura-san" Kimimaro tipped his head to her with a smirk on his face yet again, knowing that she'd probably just have her bats attack the bandits or meet them herself which would be slightly more terrifying.

Those bandits had no idea what they were about to have unleashed upon them, Jugo slanted him a look before chuckling "Yes, just make sure to clue us in on the plan when you have it figured out" Jugo requested.

Confused as he could be, Kitsuchi kept his silence this time as the four of them finished eating and continued their trek, as he suspected they arrived at the small village three hours after dinner and checked in to a hotel.

Once they were settled into three individual rooms Sakura opened up the window to the room she was in and sped through the necessary hand signs "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" Sakura murmured softly.

Specific summons she wanted to summon in the forefront of her mind until an entire horde of them was before her "What does Sakura-chan which of Aimai and the others" Aimai her favorite inquired.

Voice no longer squeaky as she'd long since grown out of her babyish tendencies "Do some simple scouting for now, the village we're currently in is being harassed by a group of bandits find them and tell everything to my clone" Sakura instructed.

Going through another set of hand signs for the water clone jutsu "As you wish Sakura-chan" Aimai said taking off through the open window followed by the rest of her cave mate, Sakura gave a little yawn but drew a vial of her own blood and gave it to the clone of herself.

With the instruction to give the blood to the bats when they returned as a reward, before laying down on the very comfortable bed to get some rest for the night, when she woke the next morning she was greeted by her clone.

"Morning, oh Aimai found the place the bandits are holed up, she said it was on the north side of the village in a hidden cave system" the water clone informed, relaying the information as she'd been told before heading into the bathroom to dispel.

Location of the bandits in mind Sakura hopped up, grabbed some clothes from her pack then disappeared into the bathroom attached to the room, showered quickly, dressed and met the others in the inn cafeteria.

Kimimaro wasted no time in asking the minute she sat down at the table they'd chosen "Did your summons find the bandits, I find it difficult to believe they didn't seeing as how efficient those particular creatures are at scouting, even unintentionally" the Kaguya Survivor questioned.

Then started devouring her pile of pancakes to Jugo's fascination "How can summons scout unintentionally" Kitsuchi asked, finding the statement odd, not to mention he still didn't have a clue as to what kind of summons the girl had.

Sakura paused briefly for a moment, fork halfway to her mouth, "In the past I've sent my summons out to deliver things to people, sometimes they come back with information that helps prevent someones death, hence unintentional scouting" the rosette answered politely.

Focusing on her breakfast again until every last bite had been devoured "What I want to know is how you can demolish five pancakes, three eggs, four sausages, a large hash-brown, two slices of bacon and orange juice without feeling like your going to puke afterwards" Jugo chuckled.

"Grow up with Naruto as one of your best friends, you practically grow a second stomach in order to keep up with the massive amounts of ramen he devours daily" Sakura deadpanned, plus she'd been hungry and it wasn't often she didn't have to cook.

Nowadays at least anyway since Sasori was lazy "Anyway back to the matter at hand, where did your bats say the bandits were" Kimimaro effectively refocused their attention on the previous conversation so they could come up with a plan.

Kitsuchi was a little bit surprised that the Kaguya had let slip what kind of summons Sakura had "On the North side of the village in a hidden cave system, I still want to talk to the village head and I'm not sure if we're just scaring them out of here or offing them" Sakura informed.

Shooting a questioning look at Kitsuchi "Probably for the best they are dealt with that way, in the case they get the idea to come back and start terrorizing people again" Kitsuchi answered knowing what she wanted.

Like that the rest of them hurriedly finished eating breakfast and set forth to speak with the head of the small village "You said a cave system, hmm yes I do recall there being such a thing in that direction Miss but be careful, the bandits will have made the area dangerous" the man nodded.

Confirming the actual direction while imparting a small warning to the foreign shinobi in their country "Thank you and soon you won't have to worry about the residents of your village being attacked by the bandits anymore" Jugo bowed, ever polite.

As they stood "We'll be in your debt" the headman sighed in relief, glad the nightmare would be ending and he watched the odd group leave his house and set forth into the forest, where they trekked forward for about thirty some minutes.

Until they finally came across the hidden cave system "Not very hidden" Kimimaro scoffed, seeing the blatantly obvious opening to the cave that was covered poorly allowing anyone to find the bandit hideout.

Sakura giggled under her breath at his exasperation "So how are you three going to deal with this" Kitsuchi inquired as the Leaf Chunin stood staring into the cave entrance sporting matching contemplative expressions.

Immediately both older Chunin looked down at Sakura who was stood safely between them and he wondered at their protectiveness of the girl "Three ways, one we go in ourselves, two I send my bats in to do the work or three my bats flush them out and we deal with them out here" Sakura said.

Listing the various ways they could handle the situation "Hmm, fighting in a cave does not sound appealing" Kimimaro grimaced, hating cramped places from his time suffering the illness, he'd been contained in a room until Orochimaru had given him the orders to abduct Sakura.

"And if we try to fight them out here, some of them could escape and we'd just have to hunt them down" Jugo commented, leaving only one option left, Sakura nodded grimly in response then bit her thumb and flashed through hand signs.

Summoning a horde of her bats who made for the cave entrance "Your orders Sakura-chan" Aimai inquired, being the only bat to remain out in the sunlight despite how disorienting it was for her as she perched on her summoners shoulder.

Kitsuchi watching on with a very curious expression as Sakura rubbed the bats fuzzy ears with an affectionate smile "Enjoy your meal Aimai-chan" was all the rosette said to Kitsuchi's confusion, then horror as it dawned on him.

Aimai fluttered from her shoulder lazily and disappeared into the cave with her cave mates flying after her to find their latest meal and less than a minute later agonized screams came from within and Kitsuchi felt sick to his stomach.

Ten minutes after the screams ended but only the bat from earlier emerged from the cave, Aimai was covered in blood, little belly distended from how full of the liquid she was "Completed" the bat declared.

Landing in Sakura's held out hands "Make sure you wash up and good job, I'll give you all your reward later, for now Kimimaro, Jugo and I have cleanup duty" Sakura praised her summons who disappeared in a plume of smoke a second later.

With that the Chunin entered the cave themselves and did their duty "Putrid" Kimimaro crinkled his nose in disgust at the metallic stench that now lingered on his clothes once their job was finished as the bandits were buried.

"Can't really do much about it until we get back to the inn Kimimaro" Jugo grimaced knowing what his friend was complaining about, the disgusting smell was on all of them thanks to entering the cave after the bats had done as ordered.

Sakura truly was frightening "Right then it'll be back to Iwa" said pinkette declared as they headed back to the small village, informed the headman that the bandits would no longer give them trouble, and disappeared into the inn to wash.

Before setting forth from the little town "Well that was certainly unexpected" Kitsuchi commented, after being silent for several minutes now, only because he'd had no idea what to say after listening to the screams of the bandits as they were feasted upon by hungry bats.

Viridian irises flashed his way from Sakura "You don't have to pretend Kitsuchi-san, I know it bothered you, it bothers a lot of people that I have little to no trouble sending a horde of hair legged vampire bats in to literally eat people" Sakura admitted.

Seeing his conflicted expression, proving her right as he visibly cringed "It's just I didn't really expect the bats, I would have thought being Tsunade's apprentice you would have signed on with the slug summons" Kitsuchi grimaced.

"Oh she does have the slug summons, but thanks to being third best at chakra control in the village Sakura is able to summon more than one type of creature at a time" Jugo explained calmly, just happy that he was able to stand at her side really.

His answer caused the older man to jolt at the admission "One more question why bats anyway" Kitsuchi asked, curious once more, though still massively disturbed he supposed he couldn't complain since the problem had been dealt with.

Sakura grinned "Sasori-sensei, the summons scroll was a reward for my tenth birthday, he's contrary like that see, but their very special to me, especially Aimai-chan" the pinkette smiled softly looking her age of fourteen for once.

She was very mature, Kitsuchi realized in that moment "I can't imagine your civilian parents were very happy knowing you were being trained by a rogue, former as he is now" Kitsuchi lifted a brow unable to keep the next question to himself.

Immediately Sakura's expression darkened, Kimimaro curled his lip and Jugo looked away from her but both set their hands upon her shoulders in silent apology, still guilty even now despite Kizashi and Mebuki safe within the Leaf Village.

"They weren't around to find out until after he was stripped of his former status and even had they known I doubt they would have been truly bothered by it" Sakura informed shortly, eyes clouded with rage to Kitsuchi's puzzlement.

Because he didn't understand "What she means Kitsuchi-san is that until six months ago, her parents were being held captive by Orochimaru who abducted them when she was nine" Kimimaro scowled.

Horror replaced the puzzled expression on the man's face "You mean the Sannin kidnapped them and you allowed them back into your life Sakura-san, do you have any idea what could have been done to them to make them dangerous to have in your village" Kitsuchi spluttered.

Again not understanding "My parents were not experimented on by him, his subordinate is obsessed with me so had them captured and merely detained to reunite me with them if he'd been successful in abducting me as well" Sakura intoned calmly.

Kitsuchi settled at that and got the sense that even if he asked the next question nagging at him she wouldn't be able to answer, so for the next four hours there was blissful silence between the four of them as they walked.

Only taking a quick break to have lunch before continuing on and just a little after dinner returned to Iwagakure "Dad where the heck have you been and why the hell are their Leaf-nin in our village" a raven haired teenager bounded up to them on their way to the Tsuchikage Tower.

"Kurotsuchi I was on a mission, I told you that before I left yesterday and Tsuchikage-sama is considering a treaty between Iwa and Konoha, which I told you yesterday as well" Kitsuchi explained exasperatedly to his daughter.

Earning a sheepish smile "Err guess I forgot" Kurotsuchi laughed, before eyeing the two males up and down in an appraising sort of way, more Jugo than Kimimaro, Sakura felt unexpectedly jealousy for some reason, not having figured out her feelings for Jugo yet obviously.

Because there was no doubt the older kunoichi was pretty in her own unique way and was no stranger to drawing attention from the opposite sex, Jugo, however was perfectly content to ignore such a look as he smiled down at her instead.

And Kimimaro was indifferent as usual when a kunoichi eyed him up, Kurotsuchi seeing the lack of interest from both shinobi turned her gaze on Sakura, eyeing the ridiculously long pink hair and strange manner of dress.

Then shrugged "I'll see you back at the house Dad" the ravenette waved, splitting up in another direction and five minutes later they were stood before Ohnoki for the third time who looked baffled for some reason.

"You can't be finished getting rid of the bandits already" the Tsuchikage grumbled at them but when he glanced to Kitsuchi who nodded as they did "And your observations Kitsuchi" he inquired wanting to know so he could decide on what to have the Chunin do next.

Kitsuchi grimaced "Highly efficient, they look at things objectively, see more than the obvious, explain why certain strategies wouldn't work and decide as a team on a plan that works for them" Kitsuchi announced.

Delivering his report "Then I suppose you'll have no problem with this next task, we have a prisoner, who, despite the torture already inflicted upon him, hasn't loosened his lips any in the days we've had him, get him to talk" Ohnoki demanded.

Jugo and Kimimaro once again deferred to Sakura who wiped any and all emotion from her expression and eyes "Leave this one to me, Tsuchikage-sama if you don't mind assigning them another task I can handle the prisoner no problem on my own" Sakura requested.

Locking all her emotions in a box "What No, you might not have any problem but I do Sakura-san and it's entirely unethical to let a little girl torture someone" Kitsuchi interrupted as Ohnoki was going to assign different tasks to Jugo and Kimimaro.

Emotionless green eyes shot his way "Jugo's to kind for that sort of thing and Kimimaro has no patience for interrogation, since I graduated from the academy I've been learning under the Head of Torture and Interrogation Ibiki Morino so it has to be me" Sakura intoned emotionlessly.

Causing the man to splutter in horror "Enough Kitsuchi as for you two, until she gets the prisoner to talk, your job will be to scout, you'll go with them Kitsuchi, I'll have someone else escort the girl to the cells" the Tsuchikage grumbled.

Still reluctant over the matter Kitsuchi bowed "Try to finish it quick Sakura" Jugo curled his arm around her shoulders, making a request of her for two reasons, one he hated being far away from her and two he couldn't stand having her in that emotionless state.

Not even Kimimaro could remain unaffected apparently as he brushed his hand along her shoulder briefly once Jugo had released her "Yes be quick" Kimimaro scowled, despite how tired they were, it was better to establish some groundwork first.

"And you two be safe" Sakura smiled at them briefly a flicker of fondness within the depths of her eyes for them as they went their separate ways and less than fifteen minutes later she was stood before Iwa's prisoner.

From the headband the man sported he was from Kusagakure "Oh look a naive girly" the bruised and bloodied Kusa-nin lifted his head slowly and spoke in a rough tone of voice the minute he sensed another person in his cell.

The only forewarning he had that maybe the girl before him wasn't as naive as he thought was when the corners of her lips lifted briefly into a smirk and then he was being choked out by a suffocating killing intent.

After a second of being subjected to that KI, it abruptly stopped and he slumped in the chair he was chained to "I hear you've been giving your captors some problems, well I'm here to rectify that, start talking or I'll persuade you in ways you couldn't even imagine" Sakura ordered.

Becoming the antithesis of what she usually was, detached, emotionless, cold, it was the persona Ibiki had been helping her develop the moment she joined T&I under his command "Heh little girly thinks of herself rather high and mighty doesn't she" the Kusa-nin laughed.

Forgetting that he'd just been nearly suffocated a moment ago until she got in his face, throwing needle dangerously close to a pain receptor, he could feel the tip of it pressing against his skin "I know exactly where every pain receptor is in a human body" Sakura informed tonelessly.

Meeting his wide eyed gaze "And how to make it hurt more so than usual, I'd prefer a less torturous method but I can and will extract any and all information you possess, it will only be a matter of time until your singing for me" Sakura continued.

Keeping his attention focused completely on her "You don't scare me" the Kusa-nin declared in false bravado, trembling just so in hopes to fool her, brats were supposed to be gullible after all, what he didn't count on was that the girl before him could hear the lie in his voice.

"No, then why are you shaking, what's causing your heart to pound against your ribs in fear as sweat beads on your forehead hmm, the truth is your terrified, with your captors you knew what to expect, but with me, you know nothing" Sakura giggled, picking the guy apart.

In a favor form of Ibiki's mental torture, "Liar and I'm not telling you anything" the Kusa-nin yelled loosing his temper, hating to be told the awful truth about his situation apparently, it was more than he'd given the Iwa-nin torturing him.

Given that he looked surprised the man had even shouted in the first place "Am I and we'll see, unfortunately I have to cut our session a little short tonight but rest assured, you will be singing and that's a promise" Sakura assured darkly.

Subjecting him to her KI again while ensnaring him in a hearing based genjutsu that had him stiffening in his chair and whimpering as he saw his worst nightmare before snapping him out of it leaving him a sweaty mess as she sauntered out of the interrogation cell.

Kusa-nin staring after her fearfully "By tomorrow morning he should start talking I think, if not I'll use a bit more of my persuasion on him" Sakura informed the Head Interrogator of Iwa, then she pranced off to the hotel where Kimimaro and Jugo met her in her separate room.

"How did it go, has the prisoner said anything yet" Kimimaro questioned, wanting to know so he could determine how long it would take Sakura to get information out of Iwa's captive and then they could move on to whatever other task the Tsuchikage wanted them to do.

Sakura flopped down on the bed with a yawn "Nothing yet, I don't think the guy was expecting someone so young, I might have hit upon something though, he can't handle mental torture apparently so it might be what gets him talking tomorrow" Sakura explained.

Emotions peeking out again after half an hour of locking them away "Well lets hope you don't have to drag the session out to long" Jugo sighed, with that he and Kimimaro headed to their own room and went to bed.

And the next morning after breakfast, Sakura handing them a small version of Katsuyu to keep in contact that they split up once more and upon entering the interrogation cell, the Kusa-nin paled at the sight of her.

Trembling worse than he had been yesterday "Please I'll tell you anything you want just release me from this nightmare you put me under" the man begged, perplexing Sakura for a moment until she realized something.

"Any nightmare you saw last night was something your own brain conjured, the hell viewing illusion was already dispelled long before you went to sleep, but unless you want to be subjected to more I suggest you start talking, starting with your name" Sakura informed emotionlessly.

Quite obviously having terrified the foreign nin "Shibafu, my reason for being here is I have a mission to locate a rogue of our village and we heard that they might be hiding out here in Iwa" Shibafu admitted.

Reluctant to part with that much information "Why would you think a rogue would come here, knowing what Iwa does to shinobi of other nations usually" Sakura asked, fiddling with a senbon needle, not able to tell if the man was lying or telling the truth this time.

Shibafu clammed up at that and she raised a slender fuscia brow in response "Unless the person's not really a rogue but someone trying to escape from your village for the way it's run" Sakura said perceptive and up to date with what was going on in other countries.

The Kusa-nin locked his jaw tighter at that but she knew she was right "So your pursuing someone that your village leader wants back desperately but you don't know where they've gone so decided to try and infiltrate another village to gather information" Sakura mused.

Glancing to the Iwa-nin stood by the door "That little bitch belongs to us" Shibafu muttered under his breath, Sakura who'd been rising from the chair facing him went rigid as her temper flared at those words.

She whipped around and slammed a kunai in between his fingers narrowly missing on purpose, Shibafu yelped but was unable to avoid looking at the girl before him who gripped his jaw tightly until it felt like it was about to break.

"People are not possessions for others to control, I don't blame her, whoever she is for running away if that's how she was treated, I would have wanted to leave as well, luckily my only job was to get information from you so the rest is out of my hands or I'd kill you" Sakura hissed.

Furious over the appalling treatment of the unknown kunoichi "You could if you wanted to I'm sure Tsuchikage-sama wouldn't mind seeing as we have no use for him now, a week for that I'm a little disappointed actually" Iwa's head interrogator scoffed.

Disgusted himself from what he'd learned, Sakura however had other ideas "Actually if Tsuchikage-sama allows it, send him back to his village after I'm finished with him" the pinkette suggested, looking positively livid.

It was then that Shibafu knew true fear as he was quickly injected with a drug that numbed his every nerve but kept him awake as the girl took a brush and chakra ink, once he was unchained and placed on a table stripped out of his clothing she began drawing seals on him.

"For every time you think of another person as a possession, pain the likes you've never known will wrack your entire body, every time you harm another person under that same pretense, the same harm will be done to you" the rosette said.

Using her special chakra ink made from her own blood "Any innocent you attempt to harm or control or force into submission whether that be by your own hand or voice, this seal will prevent all of that until you change your ways" Sakura finished.

Pressing her hands to his chest and flooding the seal with chakra, the screaming began then as the numbing drug she'd given him wore off, giving Shibafu a small taste of what he'd be going through if he didn't change his mindset and entire outlook on life.

"It won't kill you but you'll be incapacitated and useless to your village and that's a life worse than being a rogue knowing you can't fight for your home anymore isn't it Shibafu-san" Sakura smiled at him as he was dressed and chained in the chair again.

But he was unable to speak as he was wracked with more nerve damaging pain, indicating he was thinking some not so nice things about her which went against the stipulations of the seal she'd just given him.

More screaming erupted from Shibafu "Well as fun as this has been I think I'm ready for my next task from Tsuchikage-sama" Sakura scoffed, unsympathetic of the Kusagakure ninja even as blood dribbled from his mouth.

The screaming must have torn the inside of his throat but she felt nothing for him now that he'd never be able to harm someone again as long as he lived probably which would most likely be very short if the Tsuchikage decided to just kill him anyway.

With that she gracefully exited the interrogation cell and headed back to the Tsuchikage's office who eyed her dubiously "What did you do that my shinobi didn't" Ohnoki grumbled after a moment seeing that she really had managed to get his prisoner talking.

"Mental torture, he seemed weak against it, plus he wasn't expecting someone as young as I" Sakura admitted lightly with a little shrug allowing her emotions free reign again and she hoped she wouldn't have to do anymore sessions like that.

Ohnoki groaned "I'll get the information from my shinobi later, the next thing I want you to do, is if I have to agree to a treaty with you lot of Konoha then I want you to convince the Raikage to agree to a treaty between Iwagakure and Kumogakure" Ohnoki grunted.

Thinking it would be an impossible task for her, Sakura raised a brow but then shrugged realizing the Tsuchikage had no idea that the Raikage was fond of her somewhat "Right then I'll get started on that" Sakura said.

Surprising Ohnoki as she sat, pulling out a scroll as she did so and began writing in neat kanji "And while your at it ask for herbs from their hospital to supply my village's hospital" the Tsuchikage barked adding a stipulation to his demand.

She paused, eyed up how much space she had left and added the request as a post script, signed her name so the Raikage would know who it was from, rolled it up and addressed it clearly to the Raikage "I'm going to go find my teammates" the rosette declared.

Not sending the scroll off yet as she vanished in a flurry of purple cherry blossoms and less than a moment later she was stood before Jugo, who smiled kindly at her "All finished with your interrogation session I assume" the orange haired teenager inquired.

"Yep and I'm waiting for tonight to send off the newest demand from Tsuchikage-sama with Aimai-chan, so how goes patrol and I thought Kitsuchi-san was supposed to be with you two" Sakura grinned before frowning as she noticed someone missing.

Both Jugo and Kimimaro frowned themselves as if just realizing "I actually forgot he was supposed to be scouting with us, he never showed up however" Kimimaro admitted wondering at the absence of the Iwa-nin.

Right as Sakura was about to start actually worrying about the man Kitsuchi showed up "Forgive me for being late, I slept through my alarm and had a late breakfast" Kitsuchi apologized sheepishly when he saw their concerned gazes.

Then seemed to notice that Sakura was stood there "He talked" the rosette informed when Kitsuchi's attention was wholly on her "And no I didn't really do much to him, subject him to my KI and one genjutsu that was about it" Sakura explained.

When his expression darkened "Did Tsuchikage-sama give you, your next task then" Kitsuchi inquired, a little relieved that she hadn't had to do hardly anything to the Kusa-nin that was their current prisoner.

"Mhm convince Raikage-sama to agree to a treaty between your countries as well, Tsuchikage-sama said and I quote if he has to agree to a treaty between Leaf and Stone, he wants a treaty between Cloud and Stone as well" Sakura announced.

Jugo laughed at that, true laughter that erupted from his mouth from deep in his belly "Not such a hard task I think hmm Sakura, given that Raikage-sama is rather fond of you isn't he" Jugo chuckled managing to get his laughter under control after a few minutes.

Remembering back in Cloud how the Raikage had reigned himself in for Sakura so he didn't stress out the older Haruno's who had already been through enough at that point "Wait you know the Raikage personally" Kitsuchi gaped in surprise.

"Mhm, he's stayed in my house several times and on our first meeting I made him an antidote when he was poisoned" Sakura explained, remembering back to that day, it seemed like years ago though she knew it was only about a year ago or so.

Kitsuchi sighed oddly exhausted "You three are very complicated, so you think the task will be easy….well lets hope so, on that note we should probably start patrolling" Kitsuchi suggested after Sakura had nodded.

Though none of the Chunin commented on the statement of how they were complicated, it was true unfortunately given their histories and so they started their patrol around the village to put a stop to anyone wanting to cause trouble.

And later on that day as the sun dipped below the horizon, with the moon on the rise Sakura summoned Aimai "To Raikage-sama please" the rosette instructed attaching the scroll to the bats back, a moment later the creature shot into the air and disappeared from sight.

With that done Kimimaro, Sakura and Jugo headed back to the inn they were staying in for an early dinner "How sure are you exactly that the Raikage won't reject the request regardless of who it's coming from" the Kaguya Survivor asked.

Clearly dubious over the matter "It's fifty/fifty Kimimaro but seeing as it was us, the ones who went on the mission to help me get back my parents, who destroyed one of Orochimaru's hideouts, he could view it as a honor thing that he needs to repay or something" Sakura said.

Looking at different variables of the situation "Yes, Raikage-sama did seem terribly angry over the fact that there was even one in his country at all, there's more of course, but destroying that one must have been a loss to Orochimaru" Jugo nodded.

Thinking as objectively as she was, Kimimaro looked satisfied in response as they finished eating and a few days later when Ohnoki had set Sakura the task of helping out at the hospital, Ay arrived with his two familiar bodyguards on his heels.

It was only the sight of one of the guards running as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels across the village to inform the Tsuchikage of the unexpected guest that tipped Sakura off to the Raikage's arrival making her hurry to the gates of the Hidden Stone Village.

Flat, unamused beetle black eyes met her vibrant green ones almost immediately as she approached "Brat you better have a damn good reason for that request" Ay barked at her still stood on the outside of Iwagakure.

Cee and Darui stood behind him with expressions that resembled stones "Does that mean you'll hear me out Raikage-sama" Sakura inquired calmly, knowing the man was simply irritated that the request had come out of no where with no forewarning.

Ay growled at her but nodded grudgingly as the second guard that was usually posted at the gates returned allowing the Raikage entrance when he had previously been barred from entering "It seems Tsuchikage-sama was expecting you to appear" the guard grumbled.

Barely having adjusted to having Leaf Shinobi in the village now they had to accommodate Kumo-nin and the Raikage as well it was a little to much "You there girl seeing as you like to stick your nose into things you can escort him to Tsuchikage-sama" the other guard ordered.

At his rudest, Sakura flashed him a flat smile but waited patiently and then as commanded led Ay through Iwagakure to the Tsuchikage Tower, Ohnoki raised his brow at her "Didn't I assign you the task of helping my hospital brat" the Tsuchikage glowered at her.

"Yes Tsuchikage-sama….it's noon" Sakura nodded solemnly, Ohnoki grunted in understanding at that then focused his full attention on the Raikage who was huge compared to the tiny slip of a girl standing next to him.

Sensing that he was being stared at Ay growled "What sort of nonsense have you been filling this brats head with Tsuchikage and why the hell would you ask her to ask for a treaty when it's your responsibility to do so" Ay scoffed, unimpressed with the situation.

Appearing that much more intimidating that usual, Sakura didn't even flinch to his surprise, instead she looked up at him beseechingly until he calmed somewhat "He asked me, because Tsunade-shishou wishes for a treaty between Leaf and Iwa" the rosette explained.

"Correct and to prove that this isn't a trap of some sort, I've been having the brat there and her teammates doing several things, that request was one of them" Ohnoki informed, shocked that Unruly Ay was being reasonable when he hadn't been in the past.

Ay clenched his teeth making unintelligible sounds for a moment or so before glaring furiously down at Sakura who met his gaze evenly "Fine, but you owe me next time brat, Uzumaki and Uchiha as well" Ay snapped.

Mistakenly thinking that Naruto and Sasuke were on the mission as well "Kimimaro and Jugo actually, you didn't hear, those two are out of the village right now on training trips for two more years" Sakura admitted.

"You still owe me" Ay sneered and the brat nodded her consent "Cee give her the herbs that were requested and then get lost brat seeing as the Tsuchikage and I have business to attend to" the Raikage scowled.

Immediately a scroll was held out to Sakura, who took it and vanished in a swirl of purple cherry blossoms, seeing as she had a little time left she had a quick lunch of stuffed onigiri and dango then hurried back to the hospital to resume work and give the medicinal herbs to the Head Medic.

Later on she trudged back to the inn completely exhausted of chakra and found Jugo and Kimimaro sitting around chatting with Cee and Darui "He's still talking to the Tsuchikage" Cee explained the Raikage's absence.

Sakura smiled at him tiredly as she flopped down on the seat in between her mission teammates who shifted allowing her space to sit reflexively "So is it really true what you said Kid, that the other Kids are off on training trips" Darui questioned.

Wanting to be certain that he hadn't just been hearing things "Yep, they set out six months ago, a week after we got back from that mission, I've gotten a few letters of course but I miss them even though I know that it's important for them to learn and get stronger" Sakura sighed.

"Who wouldn't miss their teammates after being stuck like glue to them for most of their life" Kimimaro commented, knowing how long the members of Team Seven had actually known each other, since they were five/six and they had many memories together that no one else could touch.

Cee and Darui shared a quick but meaningful glance with one another "Just think of how strong the three of you will be at the end of the next two years, you could all possibly even be recommended to become Jonin" the blonde medic commented.

Even Jugo had to nod at that though he hadn't seen Naruto or Sasuke in action yet "Though it does seem like you three have become comfortable with each other" Darui mused seeing the ease in which they interacted.

Not saying what else he wanted to say however "Yes, it's been a long six or so months Darui-san and I've learned the value of teamwork" Jugo smiled kindly, peering down at Sakura, red-orange eyes filled with fondness for the pinkette.

It was then both Kumo-nin realized who Sakura was meant to end up with through all her hardships and heartache, she'd found someone even if she didn't know it yet, that would stay with her until the end of their time on earth, due to one act of kindness on her part.

Before the conversation could deepen, Kurotsuchi popped up out of nowhere "Hey Kid in the middle, Gramps wants you in his office" the ravenette announced, delivering the summons to the pink haired girl only to vanish in the next moment.

Kimimaro and Jugo watched as Sakura gave a world weary sigh but forced herself up from the table and despite her exhaustion disappear in a cluster of purple cherry blossoms to arrive in record time "You called for me Tsuchikage-sama" Sakura inquired.

Once she'd been admitted into the office, Ay paused hearing her voice and shot her a glare that lessened upon seeing that she was about to fall flat on her face in exhaustion "I received a glowing report on you from my Head Medic" Ohnoki grumbled.

"Which has helped me base my decision on what to do with Tsunade's request, I agree to make a new treaty but I expect you three brats to help escort me to Konohagakure in order to do so, it will be your ultimate test and I'm trusting my life in your hands" the Tsuchikage scowled.

But as he'd repeatedly learned in the last week the Chunin from Leaf were efficient "Thank you Tsuchikage-sama we won't let you down, do you know when you'll be setting out" Sakura perked up in excitement.

Oozing happiness and relief, Ay couldn't help but chuckle inwardly "Not for a couple days brat seeing as I have to finish drawing up a treaty between my country and Kumogakure" Ohnoki scoffed not understanding what had her so happy.

"Alright I'll let Kimimaro and Jugo know" Sakura smiled brightly swinging around to exit the office, unfortunately she never made it through the door as her body decided to simply crash as she blacked out from overworking herself.

Ay cursed and caught her before she hurt herself even Ohnoki was surprised "Couldn't have waited to tell her could you Tsuchikage, now we have to deal with a passed out brat" Ay grunted sourly as he lay the brat on the couch carefully to wait for her to wake up.

He was concerned though as he shot her several glances for the next couple of minutes until it was apparent she wasn't going to wake up "Why did she faint like that" Ohnoki grumbled, worried that this was going to come back and bite him somehow.

For a moment Ay didn't answer "Brat goes overboard, when you called her in here she was exhausted even I could tell despite how she was trying to hide it, and then you told her the news which excited her thus causing her to black out like that" the Raikage explained.

Though it could be for an entirely different reason to, he just wasn't sure if he should say, by the time he was ready to get some shut eye Sakura was awake and staring up at the ceiling of the Tsuchikage's office tiredly.

She did apologize for making them concerned "It's a side effect I'm afraid from when I was in a two month coma, if I do to much I pass out so I'm sorry" Sakura bowed sheepishly, hating Kabuto even more in that moment for doing something ir-repairable to her.

"Figured as much, anyway lets get to the inn so you can rest" Ay growled having guessed that it had something to do with that time she'd been unconscious for so long and they both left a curious Ohnoki behind in his office.

Upon returning to the inn, Sakura quickly bid everyone goodnight after imparting the news that the Tsuchikage had agreed to make a new treaty and hurriedly dressed for bed so she didn't accidentally pass out somewhere unexpected again.

And a couple days later after seeing Ay, Cee and Darui off, Sakura, Kimimaro and Jugo met Ohnoki and Kitsuchi the only escort he was bringing at the gates and set forth from Iwagakure themselves to return to Konohagakure after a week and a half of being gone.


End file.
